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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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  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 rubber band
  2. band — a ring
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. board — a committee
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. board — to get on
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. file — a line of people
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. pound — a weight
  12. mark — a trace
  13. mark — a grade
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. file — a tool
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. capital — money
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. file — a document
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. capital — a city
  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