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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. content — the amount
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. content — happy
  6. shower — rain
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. game — wild animals
  12. shower — to wash
  13. plane — a tool
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. cue — for pool
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. stand — to bear
  18. cue — a hint
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. cue — a signal
  21. game — a match
  22. band — a music group
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. plane — an aircraft

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