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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 still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. pit — a hole
  3. cue — for pool
  4. file — a line of people
  5. tube — a container
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. tube — the underground
  9. roll — a list
  10. cue — a hint
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. pit — in a race
  13. band — a music group
  14. roll — a cake
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. cue — a signal
  17. file — a document
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. file — a tool

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