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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's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. cap — a lid
  3. cap — a hat
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. root — of a plant
  6. band — a ring
  7. foot — a measure
  8. net — for catching
  9. net — after costs
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. root — the cause
  15. dip — to sink
  16. net — in sport
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. spell — magic
  19. root — of a word
  20. cap — of ice
  21. spell — a short time
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. spell — letters

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