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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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. court — of law
  3. present — a gift
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. track — a song
  6. court — of a king
  7. track — to keep track
  8. track — a path
  9. bass — the fish
  10. rush — hurry
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. court — for sport
  13. cold — an illness
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. cold — not warm
  16. present — there
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. present — the time now
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. band — a ring
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. bass — low music
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. band — a rubber band

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