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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  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 ring
  2. bass — the fish
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. staff — a stick
  5. bass — low music
  6. pop — soda
  7. bound — tied together
  8. face — part of the head
  9. drill — the tool
  10. staff — employees
  11. present — a gift
  12. bound — obliged
  13. face — to confront
  14. band — a music group
  15. staff — employees
  16. face — to point toward
  17. drill — a practice
  18. pop — music
  19. present — the time now
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. present — there
  22. bound — certain
  23. pop — to visit
  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