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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. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. capital — money
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. band — a music group
  7. field — for sport
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. row — a line
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. capital — a city
  13. field — a subject
  14. stand — to bear
  15. band — a ring
  16. chip — to eat
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. rest — what's left
  19. row — to paddle
  20. chip — for betting
  21. rest — what's left
  22. field — farmland
  23. rest — a break
  24. rush — hurry

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