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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 124 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. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. rash — a series
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. toast — bread
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. date — the fruit
  11. rash — hasty
  12. cold — not warm
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. foot — a measure
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. band — a ring
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. lean — thin
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. band — a music group
  21. lean — to bend
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. cold — an illness
  24. lean — to rest against

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