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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 116 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's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. wind — moving air
  3. wind — moving air
  4. net — in sport
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. present — a gift
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. net — after costs
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. bat — the animal
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. present — the time now
  18. band — a ring
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. net — for catching
  23. present — there
  24. mine — for digging

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