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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. band — a music group
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. mate — a partner
  5. ground — crushed
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. rule — government
  8. lie — to recline
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. ground — the earth
  12. degree — an amount
  13. rule — a law
  14. rash — a series
  15. degree — from a university
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. band — a ring
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. mate — a friend
  20. rash — hasty
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. ground — a position
  23. degree — temperature
  24. mate — to breed

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