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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. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. can — to be able to
  4. bound — tied together
  5. can — a tin
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. band — a music group
  9. band — a ring
  10. bound — obliged
  11. lie — to recline
  12. game — a match
  13. kick — in football
  14. bound — certain
  15. game — wild animals
  16. can — a tin
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. lie — an untruth

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