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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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. band — a music group
  3. bound — tied together
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. band — a ring
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. mine — for digging
  9. staff — employees
  10. bass — low music
  11. staff — a stick
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. bound — obliged
  14. field — a subject
  15. field — farmland
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. bound — certain
  18. fine — high quality
  19. season — of the year
  20. field — for sport
  21. bass — the fish
  22. fine — all right
  23. season — in sport
  24. season — to add flavour

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