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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's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. club — a group
  4. foot — a measure
  5. last — final
  6. bound — certain
  7. club — for golf
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. last — to go on
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. band — a ring
  13. rush — hurry
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. last — finally
  16. bound — tied together
  17. club — for dancing
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. lean — to bend
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. bound — obliged
  24. lean — thin

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