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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 put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. scale — size or range
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. ball — a great time
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. object — an aim
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. cold — an illness
  9. object — a thing
  10. object — to protest
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. ball — a dance
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. cold — not warm
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. snap — to click
  17. scale — in music
  18. pop — soda
  19. pop — music
  20. perch — the fish
  21. band — a ring
  22. band — a music group
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. pop — to visit

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