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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.

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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  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. mine — belonging to me
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. rock — music
  4. band — a ring
  5. chip — to eat
  6. rock — a stone
  7. rest — a break
  8. mine — for digging
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. chip — for betting
  11. rest — what's left
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. rest — what's left
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. pitcher — a jug
  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