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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. band — a music group
  3. mark — a grade
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. band — a ring
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. rash — hasty
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. saw — the tool
  15. mark — a trace
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. pitch — completely
  20. saw — the tool
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. wax — to grow
  23. board — to get on
  24. board — a committee

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