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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. band — a ring
  3. can — a tin
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. cap — a hat
  6. can — a tin
  7. mug — to rob
  8. cap — a lid
  9. cue — for pool
  10. cap — of ice
  11. mug — a face
  12. can — to be able to
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. mug — a cup
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. game — wild animals
  17. cue — a signal
  18. rock — music
  19. game — a match
  20. rock — a stone
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. band — a music group
  23. cue — a hint
  24. rock — to move gently

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