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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's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. pop — soda
  3. staff — employees
  4. cap — a hat
  5. staff — employees
  6. pop — to visit
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. current — of water
  10. staff — a stick
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. band — a ring
  13. content — happy
  14. content — the amount
  15. rule — a law
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. rule — government
  18. pop — music
  19. cap — of ice
  20. cap — a lid
  21. current — happening now
  22. current — electric
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. rule — to rule out

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