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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 would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. rest — a break
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. squash — to crush
  6. deal — to handle
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. squash — the sport
  9. pound — a weight
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. pitch — completely
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. date — the fruit
  14. rest — what's left
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. tube — the underground
  19. tube — a container
  20. rest — what's left
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. band — a ring
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. squash — the vegetable

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