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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. deal — to handle
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. last — finally
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. stand — to bear
  11. band — a ring
  12. last — to go on
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. bat — the animal
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. rock — music
  18. last — final
  19. rock — a stone
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. tube — a container
  22. mine — for digging
  23. tube — the underground
  24. band — a music group

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