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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 is an ace ________________.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. band — a ring
  3. rash — hasty
  4. bound — certain
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. band — a music group
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. fall — the season
  10. degree — from a university
  11. degree — an amount
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. fall — to drop
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. root — of a plant
  16. root — of a word
  17. bound — obliged
  18. rash — a series
  19. root — the cause
  20. degree — temperature
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. fall — to drop
  24. bound — tied together

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