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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. capital — money
  3. cap — a lid
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. band — a ring
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. bore — to tire
  10. band — a music group
  11. shower — to wash
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. shower — rain
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. content — happy
  17. bore — to drill
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. content — the amount
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. capital — a city
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. cap — a hat
  24. cap — of ice

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