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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 put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. band — a music group
  5. race — a contest
  6. content — the amount
  7. band — a ring
  8. race — the arms race
  9. staff — a stick
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. lie — to recline
  12. content — happy
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. race — humankind
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. staff — employees
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. perch — the fish
  20. staff — employees
  21. scale — size or range
  22. scale — in music
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. perch — for a bird

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