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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. present — a gift
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. content — the amount
  5. present — there
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. track — a song
  8. band — a music group
  9. roll — a cake
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. present — the time now
  13. hand — in cards
  14. band — a ring
  15. track — a path
  16. board — a committee
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. content — happy
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. board — to get on
  22. track — to keep track
  23. hand — help
  24. roll — a list

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