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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. row — to paddle
  7. row — a line
  8. sharp — clever
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. wake — a trail
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. band — a music group

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