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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 still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. mate — to breed
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. face — part of the head
  6. chest — a box
  7. mate — a partner
  8. chest — of your body
  9. hand — help
  10. chest — of your body
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. rock — a stone
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. rock — music
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. face — to confront
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. mate — a friend
  21. hand — in cards
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. face — to point toward
  24. band — a music group

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