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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. mine — for digging
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. game — a match
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. hand — in cards
  11. bear — the animal
  12. bear — the animal
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. game — wild animals
  20. band — a ring
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. hand — help

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