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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. dip — to sink
  3. cap — of ice
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. pit — a hole
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. bear — the animal
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. pit — in a race
  15. bear — the animal
  16. wound — an injury
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. band — a ring
  22. wound — an injury
  23. cap — a hat
  24. cap — a lid

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