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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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. face — to confront
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. wind — moving air
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. file — a tool
  10. bear — the animal
  11. file — a line of people
  12. ball — a dance
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. wind — moving air
  15. face — part of the head
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. file — a document
  18. face — to point toward
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. band — a ring
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. band — a music group
  23. bear — the animal
  24. ball — a great time

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