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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. That was a fun ________________.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. game — a match
  3. game — wild animals
  4. mark — a grade
  5. band — a music group
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. bore — to drill
  8. band — a ring
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. bat — the animal
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. rest — a break
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. bore — to tire
  16. rest — what's left
  17. season — of the year
  18. perch — the fish
  19. rest — what's left
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. mark — a trace
  23. season — in sport
  24. bat — in an idiom

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