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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. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. date — the fruit
  3. cold — an illness
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. charge — a price
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. race — a contest
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. band — a ring
  11. bound — obliged
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. charge — electricity
  14. mark — a grade
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. mark — a trace
  17. cold — not warm
  18. charge — in control
  19. race — the arms race
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. bound — certain
  22. race — humankind
  23. bound — tied together
  24. mark — to pay attention

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