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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.

Make a worksheet

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 was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. toast — bread
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. rest — what's left
  5. band — a ring
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. band — a music group
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. rest — what's left
  14. game — a match
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. scale — size or range
  17. rest — a break
  18. game — wild animals
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. mine — for digging
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. scale — in music
  24. patient — a sick person

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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