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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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Word bank
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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: field · band · bat · stick · suit · mate · bowl · straw

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. mate — to breed
  4. field — for sport
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. field — farmland
  9. suit — clothes
  10. band — a ring
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. bat — the animal
  15. mate — a partner
  16. field — a subject
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. band — a music group
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. suit — to fit
  21. mate — a friend
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. suit — in cards
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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