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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. cap — of ice
  4. mark — a trace
  5. spring — the season
  6. band — a ring
  7. spring — of water
  8. cap — a lid
  9. court — of a king
  10. kid — child
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. kid — to tease
  13. cap — a hat
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. mark — a grade
  16. band — a music group
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. plane — a tool
  19. court — for sport
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. spring — a coil
  24. court — of law

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