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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 116 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. When are we going to ________________?
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. land — to come down
  3. band — a music group
  4. land — ground
  5. rule — government
  6. face — to point toward
  7. current — of water
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. face — to confront
  10. rule — a law
  11. rock — a stone
  12. current — happening now
  13. plane — a tool
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. rock — music
  16. rash — hasty
  17. current — electric
  18. rash — a series
  19. land — a country
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. band — a ring
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. face — part of the head
  24. plane — in geometry

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