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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 116 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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. band — a ring
  3. fall — to drop
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. fall — the season
  6. fall — to drop
  7. kick — in football
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. ball — a dance
  10. saw — the tool
  11. ball — a great time
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. deal — to handle
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. band — a music group
  18. pitch — completely
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. saw — the tool
  21. rash — a series
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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