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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 116 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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. bat — the animal
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. band — a music group
  6. band — a ring
  7. march — the month
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. wound — an injury
  11. root — of a plant
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. rash — hasty
  14. wound — an injury
  15. rash — a series
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. root — of a word
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. march — music
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. root — the cause
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. march — the month

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