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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. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. cell — in biology
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. cell — a phone
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. root — of a plant
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. root — the cause
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. stand — to bear
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. band — a ring
  19. cold — an illness
  20. cold — not warm
  21. band — a music group
  22. root — of a word
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. arm — a part of something

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