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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. band — a music group
  3. net — for catching
  4. shower — to wash
  5. band — a ring
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. key — for a lock
  8. net — after costs
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. mine — for digging
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. object — a thing
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. object — to protest
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. pass — a permit
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. shower — rain
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. key — in music
  23. key — the most important part
  24. net — in sport

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