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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 still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. ball — a dance
  3. toast — bread
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. content — the amount
  6. chip — to eat
  7. content — happy
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. tube — a container
  10. ball — a great time
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. chip — for betting
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. tube — the underground
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. stand — to bear
  22. band — a music group
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. trunk — of a tree

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