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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's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. band — a ring
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. rest — a break
  7. rest — what's left
  8. rest — what's left
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. snap — to click
  12. root — the cause
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. ball — a great time
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. root — of a plant
  18. ball — a dance
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. root — of a word

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