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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 116 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 reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. bound — tied together
  3. can — a tin
  4. game — wild animals
  5. file — a tool
  6. bound — certain
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. file — a document
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. bound — obliged
  11. band — a ring
  12. capital — a city
  13. mug — a face
  14. can — a tin
  15. pop — music
  16. file — a line of people
  17. capital — money
  18. game — a match
  19. pop — to visit
  20. can — to be able to
  21. pop — soda
  22. mug — a cup
  23. band — a music group
  24. mug — to rob

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