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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. face — to confront
  7. face — part of the head
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. pound — a weight
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. face — to point toward
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. rock — a stone
  15. band — a music group
  16. kid — child
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. band — a ring
  19. season — in sport
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. pitch — completely
  22. kid — to tease
  23. season — of the year
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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