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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's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. club — for dancing
  3. club — a group
  4. net — after costs
  5. track — a song
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. wake — a trail
  8. net — for catching
  9. lean — thin
  10. lean — to bend
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. net — in sport
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. club — for golf
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. chair — a leader
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. band — a ring
  22. vault — a safe
  23. track — to keep track
  24. track — a path

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