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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. ball — a dance
  5. fall — the season
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. wind — moving air
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. lie — to recline
  13. ball — a great time
  14. cell — in biology
  15. toast — bread
  16. cell — a phone
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. band — a music group
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. fall — to drop
  21. fall — to drop
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. band — a ring
  24. band — a rubber band

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