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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. current — of water
  3. pop — to visit
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. current — electric
  9. rest — what's left
  10. current — happening now
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. pop — music
  13. rest — what's left
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. last — final
  16. pop — soda
  17. foot — a measure
  18. last — finally
  19. last — to go on
  20. band — a ring
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. date — the fruit
  23. rest — a break
  24. fan — to cool the air

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