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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. game — wild animals
  4. last — to go on
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. band — a music group
  8. pop — music
  9. bank — for money
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. suit — clothes
  12. game — a match
  13. chest — of your body
  14. bank — of a river
  15. pop — to visit
  16. suit — to fit
  17. band — a ring
  18. bank — for money
  19. last — finally
  20. chest — of your body
  21. chest — a box
  22. pop — soda
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. suit — in cards

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