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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's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. rash — a series
  3. object — an aim
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. staff — employees
  7. staff — a stick
  8. field — for sport
  9. rash — hasty
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. pound — a weight
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. ground — a position
  14. band — a ring
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. field — a subject
  17. field — farmland
  18. staff — employees
  19. ground — the earth
  20. object — to protest
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. ground — crushed
  23. object — a thing
  24. cabinet — ministers

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