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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. bound — tied together
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. date — the fruit
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. band — a ring
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. current — of water
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. kid — child
  14. current — happening now
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. bound — certain
  17. kid — to tease
  18. bat — the animal
  19. bound — obliged
  20. current — electric
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. hand — in cards
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. hand — help

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