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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 still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. squash — the sport
  4. mug — a cup
  5. tube — a container
  6. cold — not warm
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. cold — an illness
  9. snap — to click
  10. band — a music group
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. object — to protest
  14. suit — to fit
  15. object — a thing
  16. squash — to crush
  17. tube — the underground
  18. suit — clothes
  19. mug — a face
  20. suit — in cards
  21. object — an aim
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. mug — to rob
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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