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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 still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. band — a music group
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. last — final
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. kick — in football
  9. bat — the animal
  10. firm — a company
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. last — to go on
  17. last — finally
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. firm — steady
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. firm — decided
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. nail — on a finger

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