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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.

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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. rest — what's left
  3. rest — what's left
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. pop — to visit
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. pop — music
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. cell — a phone
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. band — a ring
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. pop — soda
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. band — a music group
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. rest — a break
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. cell — in biology

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