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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 116 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's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. file — a line of people
  3. file — a tool
  4. file — a document
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. band — a ring
  8. spell — magic
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. root — of a plant
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. spell — letters
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. spell — a short time
  22. stand — to bear
  23. root — the cause
  24. root — of a word

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