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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. band — a music group
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. saw — the tool
  6. drill — a practice
  7. drill — army training
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. band — a ring
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. rash — hasty
  14. drill — the tool
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. rash — a series
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. saw — the tool
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. hide — animal skin

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