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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'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. band — a ring
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. net — in sport
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. lie — to recline
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. pop — music
  10. scale — in music
  11. band — a music group
  12. net — for catching
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. pop — soda
  15. scale — size or range
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. stand — to bear
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. pop — to visit
  22. squash — to crush
  23. net — after costs
  24. cabinet — ministers

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