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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. squash — the sport
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. plane — a tool
  5. object — to protest
  6. object — an aim
  7. bear — the animal
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. bound — obliged
  10. bound — certain
  11. bat — the animal
  12. bound — tied together
  13. object — a thing
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. band — a ring
  16. bear — the animal
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. squash — to crush
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. bat — in an idiom

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