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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 put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. key — in music
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. squash — the sport
  6. key — for a lock
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. pitch — completely
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. scale — in music
  13. face — part of the head
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. face — to confront
  16. perch — the fish
  17. squash — to crush
  18. band — a music group
  19. face — to point toward
  20. band — a ring
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. key — the most important part
  23. scale — size or range
  24. wave — of the sea

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