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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. David sat on the ________________.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. swing — to play on
  3. bore — to tire
  4. band — a ring
  5. swing — in golf
  6. pit — a hole
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. bass — the fish
  9. bass — low music
  10. tube — the underground
  11. cap — a lid
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. swing — music
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. tube — a container
  18. cap — a hat
  19. bore — to drill
  20. band — a music group
  21. cap — of ice
  22. pit — in a race
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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