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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. band — a ring
  3. season — of the year
  4. current — electric
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. current — happening now
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. track — a song
  9. track — to keep track
  10. band — a music group
  11. drill — a practice
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. track — a path
  14. drill — the tool
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. season — in sport
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. board — a committee
  19. current — of water
  20. rush — hurry
  21. drill — army training
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. board — to get on
  24. rush — a thrill

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