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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. band — a ring
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. game — a match
  12. pit — a hole
  13. pit — in a race
  14. wake — a trail
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. band — a music group
  17. game — wild animals
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. foot — a measure
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. pitch — completely

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