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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 120 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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. bulb — for light
  4. wind — moving air
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. pitch — completely
  7. band — a ring
  8. rest — what's left
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. hand — in cards
  12. band — a music group
  13. hand — help
  14. bulb — for light
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. rest — what's left
  17. wind — moving air
  18. rest — a break
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. racket — a loud noise

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