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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. dip — to sink
  4. game — wild animals
  5. rock — a stone
  6. bear — the animal
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. band — a music group
  9. drill — the tool
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. band — a ring
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. current — of water
  14. drill — army training
  15. game — a match
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. current — electric
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. drill — a practice
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. bear — the animal
  23. current — happening now
  24. dip — to dunk

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