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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: arm · bay · snap · sharp · toast · straw · last · band

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. sharp — clever
  5. toast — bread
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. last — final
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. band — a ring
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. last — finally
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. last — to go on
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. band — a music group
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. snap — to click

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