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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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. band — a ring
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. present — the time now
  8. band — a music group
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. rock — music
  13. present — there
  14. mine — for digging
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. hand — in cards
  18. pitch — completely
  19. hand — help
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. present — a gift
  22. tube — a container
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. rock — a stone

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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