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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. band — a ring
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. swing — in golf
  5. staff — employees
  6. cap — a lid
  7. rest — what's left
  8. suit — clothes
  9. cap — a hat
  10. cap — of ice
  11. bulb — for light
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. band — a music group
  14. swing — to play on
  15. staff — employees
  16. cold — an illness
  17. cold — not warm
  18. rest — what's left
  19. suit — in cards
  20. swing — music
  21. suit — to fit
  22. staff — a stick
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. bulb — for light

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