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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's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. rule — a law
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. track — a song
  5. snap — to click
  6. band — a ring
  7. pop — soda
  8. cap — a lid
  9. fall — to drop
  10. pop — to visit
  11. cap — of ice
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. track — a path
  14. track — to keep track
  15. fall — to drop
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. rule — government
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. pop — music
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. fall — the season
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. cap — a hat

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