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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 116 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. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. rest — what's left
  4. game — wild animals
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. dip — to sink
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. rest — a break
  10. rest — what's left
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. game — a match
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. rock — a stone
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. band — a ring
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. stand — to bear
  23. rock — music
  24. band — a music group

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