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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 still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. band — a music group
  3. sharp — clever
  4. cap — of ice
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. scale — size or range
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. cap — a lid
  13. key — the most important part
  14. pit — a hole
  15. cap — a hat
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. scale — in music
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. key — for a lock
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. pit — in a race
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. key — in music
  24. patient — a sick person

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