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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. ball — a great time
  3. fine — high quality
  4. row — to paddle
  5. capital — money
  6. pass — a permit
  7. band — a ring
  8. craft — a skill
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. craft — boats
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. fine — all right
  14. bound — certain
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. bound — tied together
  17. bound — obliged
  18. row — a line
  19. band — a music group
  20. ball — a dance
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. capital — a city
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. pass — to spend time

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