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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 put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  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 rubber band
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. board — to get on
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. board — a committee
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. face — to point toward
  10. pass — a permit
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. band — a music group
  13. vault — a safe
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. band — a ring
  16. mine — for digging
  17. bat — the animal
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. face — part of the head
  21. face — to confront
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. mine — belonging to me
  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