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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 still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. cold — not warm
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. fine — high quality
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. mug — to rob
  8. foot — a measure
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. mug — a face
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. fine — all right
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. present — the time now
  15. drill — army training
  16. present — a gift
  17. cold — an illness
  18. present — there
  19. band — a music group
  20. mug — a cup
  21. drill — a practice
  22. drill — the tool
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. bowl — a dish

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