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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. squash — to crush
  3. band — a ring
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. band — a music group
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. row — a line
  9. clip — for paper
  10. season — in sport
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. clip — a video
  14. row — to paddle
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. season — of the year
  18. current — happening now
  19. clip — to cut
  20. current — electric
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. squash — the sport
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. current — of water

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