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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's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. pop — music
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. band — a ring
  8. mine — for digging
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. pop — to visit
  12. net — for catching
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. wind — moving air
  15. scale — size or range
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. net — in sport
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. net — after costs
  20. pop — soda
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. wind — moving air
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. scale — in 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