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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 still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. drill — a practice
  3. rest — a break
  4. band — a music group
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. ball — a great time
  8. rest — what's left
  9. root — the cause
  10. root — of a word
  11. ball — a dance
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. root — of a plant
  15. drill — army training
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. drill — the tool
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. board — to get on
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. rest — what's left
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. board — a committee

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