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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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. sharp — clever
  3. spring — of water
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. band — a ring
  7. object — an aim
  8. spring — a coil
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. spring — the season
  13. bat — the animal
  14. object — to protest
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. band — a music group
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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