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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 120 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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. rush — hurry
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. key — in music
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. fall — to drop
  8. chest — of your body
  9. key — for a lock
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. face — to confront
  12. deal — to handle
  13. fall — the season
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. face — to point toward
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. chest — of your body
  18. chest — a box
  19. face — part of the head
  20. band — a music group
  21. sharp — clever
  22. key — the most important part
  23. fall — to drop
  24. sharp — with an edge

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