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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. band — a ring
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. degree — temperature
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. degree — an amount
  10. row — to paddle
  11. degree — from a university
  12. cap — a hat
  13. cap — of ice
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. band — a music group
  16. plane — a tool
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. net — in sport
  19. net — after costs
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. row — a line
  22. cap — a lid
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. net — for catching

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