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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. band — a ring
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. rock — a stone
  6. club — for dancing
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. ball — a dance
  11. mine — for digging
  12. rock — music
  13. rule — government
  14. club — a group
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. wax — to grow
  17. band — a music group
  18. cue — for pool
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. cue — a hint
  21. cue — a signal
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. club — for golf
  24. rule — a law

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