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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 116 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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. cap — a hat
  3. band — a ring
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. scale — size or range
  6. snap — to click
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. march — the month
  9. pass — a permit
  10. scale — in music
  11. staff — a stick
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. cap — of ice
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. staff — employees
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. kid — child
  18. march — music
  19. kid — to tease
  20. staff — employees
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. march — the month
  23. band — a music group
  24. cap — a lid

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