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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 116 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. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. suit — to fit
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. rash — a series
  5. swing — to play on
  6. suit — in cards
  7. key — for a lock
  8. degree — from a university
  9. swing — music
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. band — a music group
  12. rash — hasty
  13. key — in music
  14. wind — moving air
  15. suit — clothes
  16. degree — temperature
  17. key — the most important part
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. swing — in golf
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. degree — an amount
  22. wind — moving air
  23. pound — a weight
  24. band — a ring

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