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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. present — there
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. band — a ring
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. drill — a practice
  8. present — a gift
  9. pop — music
  10. stand — to bear
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. pop — soda
  15. sharp — clever
  16. band — a music group
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. drill — army training
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. pop — to visit
  23. drill — the tool
  24. stand — on your feet

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