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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. pop — soda
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. last — to go on
  6. last — finally
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. sharp — clever
  10. drill — army training
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. drill — the tool
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. last — final
  16. band — a music group
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. pop — to visit
  21. pop — music
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. drill — a practice

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