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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's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. pop — soda
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. club — for golf
  6. tear — to rip
  7. pop — music
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. tear — from crying
  12. club — a group
  13. club — for dancing
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. pass — a permit
  16. tear — from crying
  17. snap — to click
  18. sharp — clever
  19. fall — to drop
  20. fall — the season
  21. fall — to drop
  22. pop — to visit
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. band — a ring

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