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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's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. land — to come down
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. band — a ring
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. land — a country
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. rash — a series
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. spell — magic
  14. spell — letters
  15. rash — hasty
  16. rush — hurry
  17. spell — a short time
  18. mark — a grade
  19. snap — to click
  20. land — ground
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. mark — a trace
  24. band — a rubber band

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