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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 116 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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. can — a tin
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. band — a music group
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. can — a tin
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. can — to be able to
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. field — for sport
  12. chair — a leader
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. wake — a trail
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. snap — to click
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. field — a subject
  22. field — farmland
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. pitcher — a jug

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