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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. wind — moving air
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. band — a music group
  5. wind — moving air
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. can — a tin
  9. track — a path
  10. can — to be able to
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. snap — to click
  13. band — a ring
  14. firm — steady
  15. firm — decided
  16. track — to keep track
  17. firm — a company
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. degree — an amount
  20. degree — from a university
  21. rash — hasty
  22. track — a song
  23. degree — temperature
  24. can — a tin

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