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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 still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. net — for catching
  3. shower — rain
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. clip — for paper
  6. net — after costs
  7. net — in sport
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. clip — a video
  10. band — a music group
  11. wind — moving air
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. face — to point toward
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. face — part of the head
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. shower — to wash
  21. wind — moving air
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. clip — to cut
  24. face — to confront

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