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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 120 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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. band — a music group
  4. present — the time now
  5. present — a gift
  6. snap — to click
  7. stand — to bear
  8. band — a ring
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. current — of water
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. hand — in cards
  16. current — electric
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. scale — size or range
  21. scale — in music
  22. present — there
  23. hand — help
  24. current — happening now

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