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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's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. pop — soda
  3. current — of water
  4. key — for a lock
  5. roll — a cake
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. current — happening now
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. key — the most important part
  10. pound — a weight
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. current — electric
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. roll — a list
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. key — in music
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. pop — music
  20. band — a ring
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. pop — to visit
  23. pitch — completely
  24. roll — on a roll

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