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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. band — a music group
  5. mark — a trace
  6. tear — to rip
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. pound — a weight
  9. mark — a grade
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. ball — a dance
  12. band — a ring
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. tear — from crying
  16. sharp — clever
  17. plane — a tool
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. ball — a great time
  20. tear — from crying
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. rule — a law
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. rule — government

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