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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. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. charge — electricity
  3. plane — a tool
  4. tear — to rip
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. pitch — completely
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. charge — a price
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. tear — from crying
  12. file — a line of people
  13. charge — in control
  14. band — a ring
  15. tear — from crying
  16. file — a tool
  17. file — a document
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. rule — a law
  20. band — a music group
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. rule — government
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. pitch — a sports field

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