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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. False peace will not ________________.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. last — to go on
  3. key — in music
  4. band — a ring
  5. ground — crushed
  6. ground — the earth
  7. rest — a break
  8. court — of law
  9. stem — to come from
  10. key — for a lock
  11. rest — what's left
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. key — the most important part
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. rest — what's left
  16. last — finally
  17. last — final
  18. stand — to bear
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. band — a music group
  21. court — of a king
  22. ground — a position
  23. court — for sport
  24. stem — of a plant

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