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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 put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. staff — employees
  3. staff — a stick
  4. field — a subject
  5. field — farmland
  6. hand — in cards
  7. ball — a dance
  8. field — for sport
  9. band — a ring
  10. staff — employees
  11. band — a music group
  12. last — final
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. rush — hurry
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. ball — a great time
  18. hand — help
  19. last — to go on
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. last — finally
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. bowl — a dish

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