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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 still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. net — after costs
  4. band — a music group
  5. net — in sport
  6. rest — what's left
  7. degree — from a university
  8. net — for catching
  9. rest — a break
  10. staff — a stick
  11. rest — what's left
  12. last — finally
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. staff — employees
  15. fine — high quality
  16. staff — employees
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. degree — an amount
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. last — final
  21. degree — temperature
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. last — to go on
  24. fine — all right

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