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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. track — to keep track
  3. band — a music group
  4. mug — a face
  5. land — a country
  6. key — in music
  7. cap — a hat
  8. cap — a lid
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. band — a ring
  11. cell — in biology
  12. key — the most important part
  13. mug — to rob
  14. key — for a lock
  15. net — after costs
  16. land — ground
  17. track — a path
  18. land — to come down
  19. track — a song
  20. mug — a cup
  21. cap — of ice
  22. cell — a phone
  23. net — for catching
  24. cell — in a prison

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