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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. ball — a great time
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. field — a subject
  5. cap — of ice
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. cap — a lid
  8. last — finally
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. band — a ring
  11. ball — a dance
  12. suit — to fit
  13. spell — magic
  14. suit — clothes
  15. field — farmland
  16. cap — a hat
  17. field — for sport
  18. last — to go on
  19. suit — in cards
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. spell — a short time
  22. band — a music group
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. last — final

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