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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 put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. saw — the tool
  3. chip — for betting
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. mate — to breed
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. rush — hurry
  11. band — a ring
  12. bat — the animal
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. mate — a partner
  15. saw — the tool
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. band — a music group
  18. chip — to eat
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. mate — a friend
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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