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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. spell — letters
  3. band — a ring
  4. charge — in control
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. perch — the fish
  7. spell — a short time
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. rush — hurry
  12. spell — magic
  13. capital — money
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. charge — a price
  16. band — a music group
  17. capital — a city
  18. charge — electricity
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. bound — certain
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. bound — obliged
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. bound — tied together

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