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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. charge — electricity
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. band — a music group
  5. tube — a container
  6. charge — a price
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. tube — the underground
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. shower — rain
  12. band — a ring
  13. bass — low music
  14. bass — the fish
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. last — finally
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. last — final
  21. game — a match
  22. shower — to wash
  23. charge — in control
  24. last — to go on

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