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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. plane — a tool
  3. band — a ring
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. band — a music group
  7. spring — the season
  8. rash — a series
  9. board — a committee
  10. rash — hasty
  11. board — to get on
  12. game — wild animals
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. spring — of water
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. spring — a coil
  17. lie — to recline
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. game — a match
  24. cabinet — ministers

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