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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 still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. wind — moving air
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. mate — a friend
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. can — to be able to
  7. chip — for betting
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. can — a tin
  10. cell — a phone
  11. mark — a grade
  12. chip — to eat
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. mate — to breed
  15. mark — a trace
  16. cell — in biology
  17. band — a music group
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. mate — a partner
  21. can — a tin
  22. mine — for digging
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. wind — moving air

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