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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. band — a music group
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. saw — the tool
  6. pop — to visit
  7. saw — the tool
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. wound — an injury
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. pop — music
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. wound — an injury
  16. rush — hurry
  17. game — a match
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. stand — to bear
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. pop — soda
  22. game — wild animals
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. rush — a thrill

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