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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 120 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. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. pop — soda
  3. cue — a hint
  4. band — a ring
  5. field — a subject
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. band — a music group
  8. game — wild animals
  9. game — a match
  10. cue — a signal
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. pop — music
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. mate — to breed
  15. pop — to visit
  16. field — farmland
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. mate — a friend
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. chip — to eat
  21. field — for sport
  22. cue — for pool
  23. chip — for betting
  24. mate — a partner

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