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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. band — a ring
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. drill — army training
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. field — for sport
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. field — farmland
  10. tube — the underground
  11. firm — decided
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. drill — the tool
  15. field — a subject
  16. firm — a company
  17. band — a music group
  18. firm — steady
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. tube — a container
  21. net — for catching
  22. drill — a practice
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. net — after costs

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