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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 116 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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  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. bound — tied together
  3. bound — obliged
  4. degree — from a university
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. pit — a hole
  7. band — a music group
  8. face — part of the head
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. face — to point toward
  11. degree — temperature
  12. face — to confront
  13. prune — to trim
  14. degree — an amount
  15. prune — to trim
  16. pit — in a race
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. scale — in music
  19. bound — certain
  20. band — a ring
  21. pass — a permit
  22. scale — size or range
  23. prune — the fruit
  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