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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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. key — in music
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. cell — a phone
  8. chest — of your body
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. board — to get on
  12. rush — hurry
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. chest — a box
  18. key — for a lock
  19. board — a committee
  20. band — a ring
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. chest — of your body
  23. cell — in biology
  24. key — the most important part

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