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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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. scale — in music
  3. game — wild animals
  4. land — ground
  5. land — a country
  6. game — a match
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. scale — size or range
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. land — to come down
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. tube — the underground
  16. firm — steady
  17. band — a music group
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. tube — a container
  20. band — a ring
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. firm — a company
  24. firm — decided

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