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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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  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. band — a ring
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. face — to point toward
  5. tube — the underground
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. squash — the sport
  8. face — part of the head
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. lean — thin
  12. toast — bread
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. lean — to bend
  15. squash — to crush
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. game — wild animals
  18. band — a music group
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. game — a match
  21. face — to confront
  22. tube — a container
  23. temple — side of the head
  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