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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 put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. shower — to wash
  3. degree — from a university
  4. pop — to visit
  5. mark — a trace
  6. shower — rain
  7. rush — hurry
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. pop — soda
  11. current — electric
  12. current — happening now
  13. current — of water
  14. mark — a grade
  15. roll — a cake
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. degree — an amount
  18. roll — a list
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. pop — music
  22. degree — temperature
  23. band — a ring
  24. band — a music group

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