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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's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. game — a match
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. perch — the fish
  7. game — wild animals
  8. wake — a trail
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. club — for golf
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. rock — music
  14. club — a group
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. band — a ring
  17. club — for dancing
  18. rock — a stone
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. kid — child
  24. kid — to tease

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