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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. hand — in cards
  3. hand — help
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. bound — obliged
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. pop — music
  9. rest — what's left
  10. pass — a permit
  11. pop — soda
  12. pop — to visit
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. bound — certain
  16. track — to keep track
  17. rest — what's left
  18. bound — tied together
  19. band — a music group
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. track — a path
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. track — a song
  24. band — a ring

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