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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 116 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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. pit — a hole
  3. hand — help
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. staff — employees
  6. bore — to drill
  7. staff — a stick
  8. hand — in cards
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. pit — in a race
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. degree — from a university
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. bore — to tire
  16. degree — temperature
  17. lie — to recline
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. band — a music group
  20. degree — an amount
  21. staff — employees
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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