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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: pit · kid · rock · tear · band · cap · straw · fine

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. tear — from crying
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. tear — to rip
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. band — a ring
  7. kid — to tease
  8. kid — child
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. rock — music
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. cap — a hat
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. rock — a stone
  15. pit — a hole
  16. cap — a lid
  17. pit — in a race
  18. cap — of ice
  19. fine — high quality
  20. band — a music group
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. tear — from crying
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. fine — all right

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