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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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. squash — the sport
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. bass — low music
  6. mug — a cup
  7. firm — steady
  8. firm — a company
  9. spell — a short time
  10. firm — decided
  11. mug — a face
  12. bass — the fish
  13. band — a ring
  14. spell — magic
  15. rash — hasty
  16. rash — a series
  17. tube — a container
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. spell — letters
  21. squash — to crush
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. band — a music group
  24. mug — to rob

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