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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. band — a music group
  4. mug — a face
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. file — a document
  7. face — to confront
  8. plane — a tool
  9. clip — a video
  10. file — a tool
  11. band — a ring
  12. stand — to bear
  13. file — a line of people
  14. mug — to rob
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. clip — for paper
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. mug — a cup
  19. clip — to cut
  20. club — a group
  21. face — to point toward
  22. face — part of the head
  23. club — for golf
  24. stand — for spectators

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