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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 still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. band — a music group
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. track — to keep track
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. track — a path
  9. bound — obliged
  10. kid — to tease
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. track — a song
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. perch — the fish
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. bound — tied together
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. bound — certain
  24. kid — child

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