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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's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. season — of the year
  3. row — a line
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. track — to keep track
  6. track — a song
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. pop — to visit
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. row — to paddle
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. band — a ring
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. rush — hurry
  16. pop — music
  17. track — a path
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. chip — to eat
  21. chip — for betting
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. season — in sport
  24. pop — soda

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