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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. saw — the tool
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. sharp — clever
  8. band — a ring
  9. saw — the tool
  10. toast — bread
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. rock — music
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. band — a music group
  17. roll — a list
  18. roll — a cake
  19. rush — hurry
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. mine — for digging
  22. rock — a stone
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. mine — belonging to me

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