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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 put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. band — a music group
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. band — a ring
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. net — in sport
  8. bound — tied together
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. season — in sport
  11. row — to paddle
  12. bound — certain
  13. season — of the year
  14. net — for catching
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. row — a line
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. chip — to eat
  19. bound — obliged
  20. chip — for betting
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. bat — the animal
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. net — after costs

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