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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. band — a music group
  4. shower — to wash
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. ground — a position
  10. ball — a great time
  11. squash — the sport
  12. band — a ring
  13. ground — the earth
  14. shower — rain
  15. ground — crushed
  16. ball — a dance
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. squash — to crush
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. ruler — a monarch

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