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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. cold — an illness
  7. kick — in football
  8. kid — to tease
  9. mug — to rob
  10. mug — a face
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. mug — a cup
  13. cold — not warm
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. suit — in cards
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. suit — to fit
  19. band — a music group
  20. kid — child
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. band — a ring
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. suit — clothes

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