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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 still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. pop — soda
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. cell — in biology
  6. pass — a permit
  7. content — happy
  8. pop — music
  9. band — a music group
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. track — a song
  12. craft — boats
  13. pop — to visit
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. craft — a skill
  16. track — a path
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. track — to keep track
  20. content — the amount
  21. cell — a phone
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. pass — to spend time

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