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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 120 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 ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. key — in music
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. pop — to visit
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. wind — moving air
  9. pop — soda
  10. bat — the animal
  11. band — a music group
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. key — the most important part
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. key — for a lock
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. pop — music
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. wind — moving air
  23. band — a ring
  24. wave — of the sea

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