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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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. field — a subject
  4. drill — the tool
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. file — a document
  7. charge — electricity
  8. drill — a practice
  9. fine — high quality
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. charge — in control
  13. bass — the fish
  14. fine — all right
  15. charge — a price
  16. field — farmland
  17. field — for sport
  18. bass — low music
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. file — a line of people
  22. file — a tool
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. drill — army training

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