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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 120 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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. rule — government
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. mug — to rob
  13. band — a music group
  14. wax — to grow
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. mug — a face
  18. rock — a stone
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. bat — the animal
  21. rock — music
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. band — a ring
  24. mug — a cup

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