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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 put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. cap — a lid
  4. toast — bread
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. charge — a price
  7. current — happening now
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. rash — a series
  10. cap — a hat
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. current — of water
  13. rash — hasty
  14. charge — in control
  15. cap — of ice
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. band — a music group
  19. charge — electricity
  20. current — electric
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. band — a ring
  23. mine — for digging
  24. kick — in football

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