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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. track — to keep track
  3. track — a song
  4. rush — hurry
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. suit — in cards
  7. cue — a signal
  8. field — for sport
  9. chest — of your body
  10. field — a subject
  11. chest — a box
  12. cue — for pool
  13. field — farmland
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. suit — clothes
  16. suit — to fit
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. chest — of your body
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. track — a path
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. cue — a hint
  24. band — a music group

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