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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. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. rule — a law
  4. band — a ring
  5. tear — from crying
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. band — a music group
  10. rule — government
  11. squash — to crush
  12. tear — to rip
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. object — a thing
  15. ground — a position
  16. ground — crushed
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. squash — the sport
  19. tear — from crying
  20. object — an aim
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. object — to protest
  24. ground — the earth

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