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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. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. squash — to crush
  3. ball — a dance
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. bore — to drill
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. band — a music group
  9. ball — a great time
  10. track — a song
  11. date — the fruit
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. bore — to tire
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. squash — the sport
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. track — to keep track
  21. pitch — completely
  22. track — a path
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. sharp — clever

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