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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 put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. rash — a series
  3. land — a country
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. club — for golf
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. cold — not warm
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. land — to come down
  11. land — ground
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. rash — hasty
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. cold — an illness
  16. lean — thin
  17. pitch — completely
  18. club — for dancing
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. club — a group
  21. lean — to bend
  22. band — a ring
  23. band — a music group
  24. lie — to recline

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