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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. field — for sport
  3. band — a ring
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. rock — music
  7. snap — to click
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. pop — music
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. pass — a permit
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. field — a subject
  17. pop — to visit
  18. field — farmland
  19. board — a committee
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. board — to get on
  22. band — a music group
  23. pop — soda
  24. rock — a stone

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