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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. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. game — a match
  4. band — a music group
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. scale — size or range
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. bear — the animal
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. scale — in music
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. game — wild animals
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. bear — the animal
  24. date — the fruit

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