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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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. squash — the sport
  3. bound — obliged
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. wake — a trail
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. game — a match
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. game — wild animals
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. bound — tied together
  17. bear — the animal
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. band — a music group
  21. squash — to crush
  22. bear — the animal
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. bound — certain

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