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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. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. hand — help
  6. track — a song
  7. game — a match
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. track — a path
  12. net — in sport
  13. net — for catching
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. pound — a weight
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. game — wild animals
  20. track — to keep track
  21. hand — in cards
  22. band — a ring
  23. band — a music group
  24. net — after costs

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