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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 asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. bass — the fish
  4. present — there
  5. cue — a hint
  6. shower — to wash
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. bound — obliged
  9. present — a gift
  10. band — a music group
  11. cue — a signal
  12. roll — a list
  13. bound — tied together
  14. bound — certain
  15. cue — for pool
  16. spell — letters
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. roll — a cake
  19. spell — a short time
  20. shower — rain
  21. band — a ring
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. present — the time now
  24. bass — low music

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