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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. drill — a practice
  4. drill — army training
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. chip — to eat
  7. tear — from crying
  8. sharp — clever
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. drill — the tool
  14. pop — to visit
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. chip — for betting
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. band — a ring
  20. pop — music
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. tear — from crying
  23. pop — soda
  24. tear — to rip

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