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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 120 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 put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. band — a ring
  3. club — a group
  4. key — the most important part
  5. key — in music
  6. saw — the tool
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. club — for dancing
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. key — for a lock
  11. lie — to recline
  12. saw — the tool
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. kid — to tease
  15. scale — in music
  16. club — for golf
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. deal — to handle
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. band — a music group
  22. scale — size or range
  23. kid — child
  24. deal — a big deal

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