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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 124 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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. cap — a hat
  3. mug — a face
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. bound — certain
  6. mate — a friend
  7. cold — not warm
  8. band — a music group
  9. mug — to rob
  10. sharp — clever
  11. bound — tied together
  12. mate — a partner
  13. lie — to recline
  14. cap — of ice
  15. cap — a lid
  16. mate — to breed
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. cold — an illness
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. mug — a cup
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. bound — obliged
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. band — a ring

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