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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 116 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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. band — a music group
  3. scale — size or range
  4. court — of law
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. can — a tin
  7. scale — in music
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. pit — a hole
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. court — for sport
  12. can — to be able to
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. mine — for digging
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. court — of a king
  17. can — a tin
  18. band — a ring
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. pit — in a race
  21. kid — child
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. kid — to tease

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