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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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. scale — in music
  3. spell — magic
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. pound — a weight
  9. game — wild animals
  10. game — a match
  11. fine — all right
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. fine — high quality
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. spell — a short time
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. scale — size or range
  20. lie — to recline
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. band — a music group
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. spell — letters

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