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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 are we going to ________________?
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. mate — a friend
  4. pass — a permit
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. band — a music group
  11. mate — a partner
  12. roll — a cake
  13. mate — to breed
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. land — a country
  17. land — ground
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. roll — a list
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. band — a ring
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. roll — on a roll

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