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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 still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. band — a music group
  3. sharp — clever
  4. pound — a weight
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. net — after costs
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. rock — a stone
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. wake — a trail
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. chair — a leader
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. net — for catching
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. net — in sport
  21. rock — music
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. sharp — exactly

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