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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: wind · safe · straw · game · racket · mark · band · ruler

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. mark — a grade
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. game — a match
  6. band — a music group
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. game — wild animals
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. mark — a trace
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. wind — moving air
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. wind — moving air

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