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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. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. mate — a friend
  3. band — a music group
  4. net — in sport
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. band — a ring
  7. fine — all right
  8. root — of a word
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. kick — in football
  11. mate — a partner
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. squash — the sport
  14. net — after costs
  15. squash — to crush
  16. net — for catching
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. root — of a plant
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. mate — to breed
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. root — the cause
  24. fine — high quality

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