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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. band — a music group
  3. pit — in a race
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. bank — for money
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. band — a ring
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. bank — of a river
  16. hand — help
  17. hand — in cards
  18. bank — for money
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. game — wild animals
  23. pit — a hole
  24. pound — a weight

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