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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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. band — a ring
  6. hand — help
  7. bat — the animal
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. chip — for betting
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. hand — in cards
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. mine — for digging
  21. chip — to eat
  22. band — a music group
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. hand — part of the body

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