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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's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. pitch — completely
  8. toast — bread
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. roll — a cake
  11. hand — in cards
  12. deal — to handle
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. roll — a list
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. kid — child
  18. kid — to tease
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. band — a ring
  23. hand — help
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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