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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 still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. lie — to recline
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. pop — to visit
  6. pop — soda
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. bat — the animal
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. band — a music group
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. pop — music
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. bat — in an idiom

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