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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. face — part of the head
  3. rule — a law
  4. cap — a lid
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. band — a ring
  9. cap — of ice
  10. rule — government
  11. board — to get on
  12. face — to point toward
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. board — a committee
  16. face — to confront
  17. snap — to click
  18. cap — a hat

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