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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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. cue — a signal
  3. tear — to rip
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. net — in sport
  6. last — finally
  7. band — a ring
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. perch — the fish
  12. last — to go on
  13. last — final
  14. tear — from crying
  15. net — for catching
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. cue — a hint
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. net — after costs
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. cue — for pool
  24. tear — from crying

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