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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. mine — for digging
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. mark — a trace
  10. rest — a break
  11. band — a ring
  12. sharp — clever
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. content — happy
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. rest — what's left
  21. rest — what's left
  22. content — the amount
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. mark — a grade

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