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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: fine · bay · date · band · straw · mark · last · deal

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. last — final
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. fine — high quality
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. band — a ring
  17. mark — a trace
  18. last — finally
  19. deal — to handle
  20. fine — all right
  21. date — the fruit
  22. mark — a grade
  23. last — to go on
  24. band — a music group

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