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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 put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. mine — for digging
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. pit — a hole
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. pit — in a race
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. game — wild animals
  11. perch — the fish
  12. band — a music group
  13. game — a match
  14. band — a ring
  15. tube — a container
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. mark — a grade
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. tube — the underground
  20. toast — bread
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. mark — a trace

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