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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 put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. track — to keep track
  4. present — a gift
  5. plane — a tool
  6. firm — a company
  7. race — humankind
  8. present — there
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. band — a ring
  11. firm — steady
  12. wound — an injury
  13. present — the time now
  14. track — a path
  15. race — a contest
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. band — a music group
  18. race — the arms race
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. track — a song
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. firm — decided
  23. wound — an injury
  24. plane — an aircraft

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