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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. rest — what's left
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. can — a tin
  7. deal — to handle
  8. hand — help
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. hand — in cards
  11. band — a music group
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. bass — the fish
  14. rest — what's left
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. last — final
  17. band — a ring
  18. can — to be able to
  19. bass — low music
  20. can — a tin
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. mine — for digging
  23. rest — a break
  24. last — to go on

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