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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 put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. band — a music group
  6. cap — a lid
  7. cap — of ice
  8. game — a match
  9. degree — an amount
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. vault — a safe
  12. mark — a trace
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. bark — to shout
  15. band — a ring
  16. game — wild animals
  17. cap — a hat
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. mark — a grade
  21. degree — from a university
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. degree — temperature

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