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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 116 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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. season — in sport
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. mark — a trace
  6. rush — hurry
  7. season — of the year
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. wind — moving air
  12. wind — moving air
  13. capital — a city
  14. capital — money
  15. band — a music group
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. mark — a grade
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. band — a ring
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. stand — to bear

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