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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 still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. chip — for betting
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. last — finally
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. last — final
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. wake — a trail
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. fine — high quality
  13. fine — all right
  14. row — a line
  15. last — to go on
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. band — a music group
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. pass — a permit
  22. chip — to eat
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. row — to paddle

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