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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. game — wild animals
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. game — a match
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. squash — to crush
  16. band — a music group
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. rule — government
  20. rule — a law
  21. squash — the sport
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. band — a ring
  24. straw — dry grass

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