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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's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. rush — hurry
  3. chest — a box
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. season — in sport
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. band — a ring
  9. mug — a cup
  10. court — for sport
  11. season — of the year
  12. chest — of your body
  13. can — a tin
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. chest — of your body
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. court — of a king
  20. court — of law
  21. mug — a face
  22. can — a tin
  23. mug — to rob
  24. can — to be able to

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