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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 still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. suit — in cards
  3. suit — to fit
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. season — of the year
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. game — a match
  10. rock — a stone
  11. rock — music
  12. root — of a plant
  13. suit — clothes
  14. root — of a word
  15. band — a music group
  16. foot — a measure
  17. fine — all right
  18. season — in sport
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. fine — high quality
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. root — the cause
  24. game — wild animals

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