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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 still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. kick — in football
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. charge — electricity
  5. field — for sport
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. shower — to wash
  8. band — a music group
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. cue — a signal
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. field — a subject
  14. field — farmland
  15. spell — magic
  16. cue — for pool
  17. charge — a price
  18. cue — a hint
  19. spell — letters
  20. spell — a short time
  21. shower — rain
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. stand — to bear
  24. charge — in control

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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