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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. lean — to bend
  3. game — a match
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. bulb — for light
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. lean — thin
  8. rest — what's left
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. rest — a break
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. bulb — for light
  16. rest — what's left
  17. pitch — completely
  18. game — wild animals
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. band — a ring
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. pass — a permit
  24. bulb — of a plant

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