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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. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. fork — in a road
  3. last — finally
  4. band — a music group
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. band — a ring
  8. last — final
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. kid — to tease
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. drill — a practice
  16. drill — the tool
  17. last — to go on
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. kid — child
  20. drill — army training
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. pitch — completely
  24. nail — on a finger

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