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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. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. bat — the animal
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. snap — to click
  7. mate — a friend
  8. mate — to breed
  9. band — a ring
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. mate — a partner
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. tube — the underground
  20. band — a music group
  21. lie — to recline
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. tube — a container
  24. bat — in an idiom

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