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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: track · pop · face · straw · snap · ruler · deal · band

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. face — part of the head
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. pop — to visit
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. track — a path
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. face — to point toward
  10. band — a music group
  11. track — to keep track
  12. face — to confront
  13. band — a ring
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. snap — to click
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. pop — soda
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. deal — to handle
  24. track — a song

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