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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. pop — music
  5. can — a tin
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. current — of water
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. court — for sport
  11. object — an aim
  12. pop — soda
  13. can — a tin
  14. court — of a king
  15. band — a ring
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. object — a thing
  19. pop — to visit
  20. court — of law
  21. band — a music group
  22. can — to be able to
  23. current — happening now
  24. current — electric

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