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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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. band — a ring
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. bound — certain
  5. bound — tied together
  6. board — a committee
  7. board — to get on
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. mine — for digging
  10. bound — obliged
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. fine — all right
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. fine — high quality
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. fan — a supporter

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