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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: straw · pit · snap · band · staff · object

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. snap — to click
  3. band — a music group
  4. object — an aim
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. object — a thing
  7. staff — employees
  8. staff — a stick
  9. object — to protest
  10. staff — employees
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. band — a ring
  13. pit — a hole
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. pit — in a race
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. snap — to speak sharply

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