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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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. mark — a trace
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. object — an aim
  6. band — a ring
  7. band — a music group
  8. bound — obliged
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. court — for sport
  11. object — to protest
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. file — a tool
  17. court — of law
  18. bound — tied together
  19. file — a line of people
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. mark — a grade
  22. court — of a king
  23. bound — certain
  24. file — a document

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