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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. rush — hurry
  4. band — a ring
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. chest — a box
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. club — a group
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. chest — of your body
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. band — a music group
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. club — for dancing
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. club — for golf
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. chest — of your body
  24. rush — a thrill

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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