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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. face — to point toward
  3. mate — a friend
  4. key — for a lock
  5. key — in music
  6. mate — a partner
  7. pound — a weight
  8. spell — letters
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. face — to confront
  11. fine — high quality
  12. spell — magic
  13. mate — to breed
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. fine — all right
  17. key — the most important part
  18. band — a ring
  19. band — a music group
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. face — part of the head
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. spell — a short time
  24. pound — for dogs

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