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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. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. wound — an injury
  3. ground — a position
  4. band — a music group
  5. ground — the earth
  6. rush — hurry
  7. cap — a hat
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. band — a ring
  10. club — for dancing
  11. ground — crushed
  12. squash — the sport
  13. squash — to crush
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. club — a group
  17. cap — of ice
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. club — for golf
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. wound — an injury
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. cap — a lid
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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