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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's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. pop — to visit
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. season — in sport
  7. band — a ring
  8. bound — obliged
  9. staff — employees
  10. chip — for betting
  11. pop — soda
  12. season — of the year
  13. chip — to eat
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. fork — in a road
  16. bat — the animal
  17. bound — tied together
  18. pop — music
  19. staff — a stick
  20. staff — employees
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. bound — certain

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