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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. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. band — a music group
  4. swing — in golf
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. swing — music
  9. kick — in football
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. rest — what's left
  12. rest — what's left
  13. rest — a break
  14. swing — to play on
  15. object — an aim
  16. object — a thing
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. content — the amount
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. foot — a measure
  21. saw — the tool
  22. saw — the tool
  23. object — to protest
  24. content — happy

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