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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 put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. spell — magic
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. snap — to click
  7. spell — a short time
  8. object — an aim
  9. pit — a hole
  10. object — a thing
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. pit — in a race
  14. toast — bread
  15. spell — letters
  16. band — a ring
  17. wind — moving air
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. object — to protest
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. band — a music group
  24. wind — moving air

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