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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 still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. season — in sport
  3. game — wild animals
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. rest — what's left
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. rest — a break
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. key — for a lock
  12. band — a music group
  13. key — the most important part
  14. game — a match
  15. key — in music
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. rest — what's left
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. ball — a great time
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. ball — a dance
  22. dip — to sink
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. season — of the year

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