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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. band — a music group
  4. band — a ring
  5. key — for a lock
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. board — to get on
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. swing — to play on
  10. spring — of water
  11. swing — music
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. key — in music
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. wake — a trail
  17. hand — help
  18. board — a committee
  19. spring — a coil
  20. swing — in golf
  21. key — the most important part
  22. spring — the season
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. hand — in cards

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