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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 120 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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. deal — to handle
  4. band — a ring
  5. band — a music group
  6. wound — an injury
  7. row — a line
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. cell — a phone
  10. kick — in football
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. cell — in biology
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. row — to paddle
  18. pit — a hole
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. wound — an injury
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. pit — in a race

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