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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's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. suit — clothes
  3. suit — in cards
  4. net — for catching
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. field — for sport
  11. net — after costs
  12. spring — a coil
  13. rush — hurry
  14. suit — to fit
  15. snap — to click
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. spring — the season
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. field — a subject
  20. spring — of water
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. band — a ring
  23. net — in sport
  24. field — farmland

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