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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's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. cap — of ice
  3. club — a group
  4. sharp — clever
  5. rest — what's left
  6. present — a gift
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. race — a contest
  9. vault — a safe
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. band — a ring
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. club — for golf
  14. rest — a break
  15. club — for dancing
  16. cap — a lid
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. present — there
  19. race — humankind
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. present — the time now
  22. race — the arms race
  23. cap — a hat
  24. rest — what's left

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