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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. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. content — happy
  4. bat — the animal
  5. band — a music group
  6. band — a ring
  7. charge — electricity
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. scale — size or range
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. suit — clothes
  16. content — the amount
  17. charge — in control
  18. suit — in cards
  19. prune — to trim
  20. charge — a price
  21. prune — to trim
  22. wound — an injury
  23. scale — in music
  24. wound — an injury

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