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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 still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. board — a committee
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. net — in sport
  5. net — after costs
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. firm — a company
  8. prune — to trim
  9. mark — a grade
  10. firm — decided
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. board — to get on
  13. last — to go on
  14. last — final
  15. mark — a trace
  16. prune — to trim
  17. net — for catching
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. firm — steady
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. last — finally
  23. band — a music group
  24. cabinet — ministers

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