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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 120 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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. rash — a series
  3. lie — to recline
  4. march — music
  5. charge — in control
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. band — a ring
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. cold — not warm
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. band — a music group
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. rash — hasty
  14. march — the month
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. charge — a price
  17. charge — electricity
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. pound — a weight
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. march — the month
  23. cold — an illness
  24. lie — an untruth

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