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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. club — for golf
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. band — a music group
  7. bass — the fish
  8. can — a tin
  9. cell — in biology
  10. club — a group
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. hand — in cards
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. cell — a phone
  16. foot — a measure
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. band — a ring
  19. bass — low music
  20. hand — help
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. club — for dancing
  23. can — a tin
  24. can — to be able to

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