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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. can — a tin
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. band — a music group
  6. cap — a hat
  7. cap — a lid
  8. board — a committee
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. bass — the fish
  11. wake — a trail
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. band — a ring
  16. board — to get on
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. can — to be able to
  19. saw — the tool
  20. cap — of ice
  21. saw — the tool
  22. bass — low music
  23. can — a tin
  24. bass — the instrument

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