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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. swing — in golf
  4. bear — the animal
  5. ball — a great time
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. swing — to play on
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. ball — a dance
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. band — a music group
  12. swing — music
  13. degree — temperature
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. band — a ring
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. chair — a leader
  21. degree — an amount
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. degree — from a university
  24. bear — the animal

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