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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. mug — a cup
  4. band — a music group
  5. land — a country
  6. pop — music
  7. pop — soda
  8. bass — low music
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. bass — the fish
  11. file — a line of people
  12. file — a document
  13. mark — a grade
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. band — a ring
  16. land — ground
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. scale — size or range
  19. land — to come down
  20. file — a tool
  21. pop — to visit
  22. scale — in music
  23. mark — a trace
  24. mug — to rob

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