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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 works in a ________________ mill.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. saw — the tool
  3. wound — an injury
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. wound — an injury
  7. band — a ring
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. court — of a king
  11. swing — in golf
  12. ground — a position
  13. saw — the tool
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. ground — the earth
  16. court — of law
  17. swing — music
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. swing — to play on
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. ground — crushed
  22. court — for sport
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. bay — a horse colour

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