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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 · deal · ruler · chair · wake · mouse · lie · band

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. wake — a trail
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. lie — to recline
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. band — a music group
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. band — a ring
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. deal — to handle
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. chair — a leader
  24. straw — a straw man

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