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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 still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. last — to go on
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. swing — music
  5. last — finally
  6. degree — an amount
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. swing — in golf
  10. degree — from a university
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. kid — to tease
  13. kid — child
  14. degree — temperature
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. bank — for money
  17. bank — of a river
  18. swing — to play on
  19. wound — an injury
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. band — a music group
  22. wound — an injury
  23. bank — for money
  24. last — final

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