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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's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. fork — in a road
  3. ball — a great time
  4. net — in sport
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. cue — a hint
  9. band — a ring
  10. prune — to trim
  11. cue — for pool
  12. hand — in cards
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. hand — help
  16. net — for catching
  17. cue — a signal
  18. net — after costs
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. prune — to trim
  22. ball — a dance
  23. rush — hurry
  24. fork — a garden tool

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