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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 still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. pop — music
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. fine — high quality
  5. cue — a signal
  6. cue — a hint
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. pass — a permit
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. pop — to visit
  11. fine — all right
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. pop — soda
  16. band — a music group
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. cue — for pool
  19. squash — the sport
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. squash — to crush
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. squash — the vegetable

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