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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: straw · object · band · suit · game · rock · drill · cold

  1. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  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. object — an aim
  2. suit — clothes
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. game — wild animals
  6. rock — a stone
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. game — a match
  11. suit — to fit
  12. drill — army training
  13. band — a music group
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. drill — the tool
  16. cold — an illness
  17. rock — music
  18. object — to protest
  19. band — a ring
  20. suit — in cards
  21. object — a thing
  22. drill — a practice
  23. cold — not warm
  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