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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. suit — in cards
  3. mine — for digging
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. firm — steady
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. band — a music group
  9. firm — a company
  10. firm — decided
  11. lie — to recline
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. suit — to fit
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. band — a ring
  16. ball — a dance
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. cell — a phone
  19. fork — in a road
  20. ball — a great time
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. cell — in biology
  24. suit — clothes

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