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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. file — a tool
  3. capital — money
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. file — a document
  7. club — a group
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. club — for golf
  12. file — a line of people
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. club — for dancing
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. capital — a city
  17. band — a music group
  18. mouse — for a computer

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