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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.

Make a worksheet

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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. file — a line of people
  3. file — a tool
  4. chest — a box
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. chest — of your body
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. date — the fruit
  12. bass — the fish
  13. spell — letters
  14. spell — magic
  15. file — a document
  16. bass — low music
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. band — a music group
  19. chest — of your body
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. band — a ring
  24. coach — a trainer

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