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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 still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. stand — to bear
  4. suit — to fit
  5. bound — obliged
  6. file — a document
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. squash — the sport
  9. content — the amount
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. file — a tool
  12. season — in sport
  13. bound — tied together
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. file — a line of people
  17. content — happy
  18. squash — to crush
  19. suit — in cards
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. season — of the year
  22. band — a music group
  23. bound — certain
  24. suit — clothes

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