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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. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. band — a music group
  4. pop — to visit
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. kid — child
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. pop — music
  9. kid — to tease
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. game — wild animals
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. key — for a lock
  15. sharp — clever
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. roll — a list
  18. pop — soda
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. roll — a cake
  21. key — the most important part
  22. band — a ring
  23. key — in music
  24. game — a match

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