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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. band — a music group
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. tear — from crying
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. cell — in biology
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. board — to get on
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. degree — an amount
  13. rock — a stone
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. cell — a phone
  16. tear — from crying
  17. degree — from a university
  18. degree — temperature
  19. foot — a measure
  20. tear — to rip
  21. band — a ring
  22. rock — music
  23. board — a committee
  24. cell — in a prison

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