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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 ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. ground — a position
  4. mug — a face
  5. band — a music group
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. band — a ring
  8. game — wild animals
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. mug — to rob
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. ground — crushed
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. ground — the earth
  15. game — a match
  16. mine — for digging
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. mug — a cup

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