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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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. bore — to drill
  5. court — for sport
  6. swing — music
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. land — a country
  9. land — to come down
  10. toast — bread
  11. band — a music group
  12. bore — to tire
  13. land — ground
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. shower — to wash
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. swing — to play on
  18. court — of law
  19. swing — in golf
  20. shower — rain
  21. court — of a king
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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