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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 still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. band — a music group
  3. mine — for digging
  4. rush — hurry
  5. staff — a stick
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. staff — employees
  8. vault — a safe
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. charge — electricity
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. charge — in control
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. date — the fruit
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. charge — a price
  23. staff — employees
  24. mine — an explosive

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