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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. mate — a partner
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. mark — a trace
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. cap — a hat
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. ground — the earth
  13. mate — a friend
  14. cap — of ice
  15. ground — a position
  16. mark — a grade
  17. band — a ring
  18. board — a committee
  19. ground — crushed
  20. bat — the animal
  21. cap — a lid
  22. mate — to breed
  23. board — to get on
  24. bat — for baseball

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