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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. band — a music group
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. last — final
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. date — the fruit
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. chest — of your body
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. last — finally
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. band — a ring
  14. chest — a box
  15. last — to go on
  16. bat — the animal
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. rock — a stone
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. chest — of your body
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. bowl — a dish

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