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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. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. toast — bread
  3. ball — a great time
  4. rest — what's left
  5. tube — a container
  6. rest — what's left
  7. bass — the fish
  8. fine — high quality
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. ball — a dance
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. shower — rain
  15. rest — a break
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. shower — to wash
  18. fine — all right
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. bass — low music
  21. band — a ring
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. tube — the underground

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