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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. scale — size or range
  5. pass — a permit
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. band — a ring
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. snap — to click
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. scale — in music
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. dip — to sink
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. land — ground
  22. band — a music group
  23. land — a country
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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