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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. hand — in cards
  3. current — happening now
  4. band — a music group
  5. ball — a dance
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. band — a ring
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. track — a song
  13. track — a path
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. ball — a great time
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. current — of water
  19. pitch — completely
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. sharp — clever
  23. track — to keep track
  24. current — electric

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