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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's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  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 music group
  2. current — of water
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. hand — help
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. pop — music
  8. kick — in football
  9. band — a ring
  10. mark — a grade
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. pop — soda
  13. current — happening now
  14. mine — for digging
  15. current — electric
  16. pop — to visit
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. mark — a trace
  20. hand — in cards
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. rush — hurry
  23. rush — to hurry
  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