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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. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. wake — a trail
  4. rash — hasty
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. suit — clothes
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. spring — of water
  10. band — a ring
  11. band — a music group
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. spring — a coil
  14. spring — the season
  15. present — there
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. suit — in cards
  18. present — a gift
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. rash — a series
  23. toast — bread
  24. present — the time now

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