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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. band — a ring
  3. file — a tool
  4. roll — a cake
  5. chip — for betting
  6. chip — to eat
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. band — a music group
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. roll — a list
  16. firm — decided
  17. wax — to grow
  18. firm — steady
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. firm — a company
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. file — a line of people
  23. file — a document
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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