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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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. rule — a law
  3. season — in sport
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. band — a music group
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. band — a ring
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. scale — size or range
  13. season — of the year
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. branch — a division
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. rule — government
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. bound — tied together
  20. bound — obliged
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. scale — in music
  23. bat — the animal
  24. bound — certain

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