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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 120 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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. band — a ring
  3. ball — a great time
  4. cap — of ice
  5. cap — a hat
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. bat — the animal
  8. track — a path
  9. current — electric
  10. firm — steady
  11. track — to keep track
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. band — a music group
  14. ball — a dance
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. current — happening now
  18. firm — a company
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. current — of water
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. cap — a lid
  24. track — a song

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