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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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. pitch — completely
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. mate — a friend
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. bank — of a river
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. mate — to breed
  12. track — a path
  13. stand — to bear
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. sharp — clever
  16. bank — for money
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. track — a song
  19. mate — a partner
  20. pound — a weight
  21. band — a music group
  22. track — to keep track
  23. bank — for money
  24. pound — to hit hard

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