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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. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. rest — what's left
  3. rest — what's left
  4. band — a music group
  5. rest — a break
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. game — wild animals
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. drill — a practice
  11. drill — the tool
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. drill — army training
  14. band — a ring
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. fork — in a road
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. game — a match
  24. band — a rubber band

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