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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. cold — an illness
  3. content — the amount
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. band — a ring
  6. face — part of the head
  7. rest — a break
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. cold — not warm
  10. content — happy
  11. rest — what's left
  12. club — a group
  13. rock — music
  14. rock — a stone
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. club — for golf
  18. rest — what's left
  19. face — to confront
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. band — a music group
  22. face — to point toward
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. band — a rubber band

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