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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 120 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. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. charge — a price
  3. root — of a word
  4. root — the cause
  5. stand — to bear
  6. chest — of your body
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. bass — the fish
  10. cap — of ice
  11. charge — electricity
  12. band — a ring
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. root — of a plant
  15. chest — of your body
  16. cap — a lid
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. chest — a box
  19. charge — in control
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. bass — low music
  23. cap — a hat
  24. bass — the instrument

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