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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. pound — a weight
  6. board — a committee
  7. band — a music group
  8. key — for a lock
  9. fall — the season
  10. board — to get on
  11. fine — all right
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. rest — a break
  14. wake — a trail
  15. rest — what's left
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. fall — to drop
  18. key — the most important part
  19. band — a ring
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. key — in music
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. fall — to drop
  24. rest — what's left

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