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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. lean — thin
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. bound — certain
  5. band — a music group
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. last — to go on
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. last — final
  13. lean — to bend
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. last — finally
  17. bound — tied together
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. bound — obliged
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. deal — to handle
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. racket — for tennis

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