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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 put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. pit — a hole
  3. present — the time now
  4. rock — music
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. present — a gift
  7. field — farmland
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. field — a subject
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. band — a music group
  13. present — there
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. track — to keep track
  17. track — a song
  18. band — a ring
  19. field — for sport
  20. pit — in a race
  21. rock — a stone
  22. track — a path
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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