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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. band — a ring
  6. court — of law
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. bear — the animal
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. pop — music
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. pop — to visit
  16. pop — soda
  17. pass — a permit
  18. bear — the animal
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. rush — hurry
  21. court — of a king
  22. kick — in football
  23. band — a music group
  24. kick — a thrill

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com