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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. band — a music group
  3. content — happy
  4. key — the most important part
  5. content — the amount
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. pop — music
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. file — a tool
  10. spring — a coil
  11. key — for a lock
  12. spring — of water
  13. file — a line of people
  14. key — in music
  15. spring — the season
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. pop — to visit
  18. file — a document
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. pass — a permit
  22. pop — soda
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. band — a ring

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