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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. chest — a box
  5. staff — a stick
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. staff — employees
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. chest — of your body
  11. staff — employees
  12. land — to come down
  13. chest — of your body
  14. band — a ring
  15. land — ground
  16. land — a country
  17. date — the fruit
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. deal — to handle
  22. kick — in football
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. band — a rubber band

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