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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 put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. spell — letters
  4. mark — a grade
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. mine — for digging
  9. spell — a short time
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. track — a song
  12. spell — magic
  13. chip — to eat
  14. track — a path
  15. track — to keep track
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. chip — for betting
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. date — the fruit
  20. mark — a trace
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. band — a music group
  24. band — a ring

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