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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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. wake — a trail
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. band — a music group
  5. charge — electricity
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. saw — the tool
  10. game — wild animals
  11. saw — the tool
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. charge — in control
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. bat — the animal
  18. band — a ring
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. game — a match
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. charge — a price
  24. stand — to bear

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