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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 116 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's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. sharp — clever
  3. track — a path
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. band — a music group
  9. file — a line of people
  10. file — a document
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. rest — what's left
  14. rest — what's left
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. track — to keep track
  19. track — a song
  20. rest — a break
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. file — a tool
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. bowl — a dish

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