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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. band — a music group
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. fine — all right
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. mug — a cup
  8. fine — high quality
  9. foot — a measure
  10. mug — a face
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. wound — an injury
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. chip — to eat
  16. band — a ring
  17. date — the fruit
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. wound — an injury
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. chip — for betting
  24. mug — to rob

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