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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. band — a ring
  5. can — a tin
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. hand — help
  8. chest — of your body
  9. mate — to breed
  10. can — a tin
  11. bound — tied together
  12. object — an aim
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. mate — a partner
  15. chest — of your body
  16. can — to be able to
  17. bound — certain
  18. bound — obliged
  19. hand — in cards
  20. object — a thing
  21. mate — a friend
  22. object — to protest
  23. chest — a box
  24. sharp — clever

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