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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. band — a music group
  3. pitch — completely
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. wind — moving air
  7. net — in sport
  8. can — to be able to
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. band — a ring
  11. can — a tin
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. can — a tin
  17. wind — moving air
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. net — after costs
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. net — for catching
  24. coach — a trainer

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