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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. cell — in biology
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. current — electric
  5. cell — a phone
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. rash — hasty
  9. band — a music group
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. staff — employees
  12. staff — employees
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. band — a ring
  17. current — happening now
  18. staff — a stick
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. sharp — clever
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. rash — a series
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. current — of water

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