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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 124 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's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. shower — rain
  3. dip — to sink
  4. band — a ring
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. rash — a series
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. row — a line
  10. pound — a weight
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. face — to point toward
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. face — to confront
  17. shower — to wash
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. rash — hasty
  20. face — part of the head
  21. row — to paddle
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. dip — a sauce

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