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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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. spring — the season
  3. scale — size or range
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. scale — in music
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. spring — a coil
  9. court — for sport
  10. key — the most important part
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. key — for a lock
  13. court — of law
  14. bore — to tire
  15. band — a ring
  16. spring — of water
  17. court — of a king
  18. chair — a leader
  19. chip — to eat
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. band — a music group
  22. chip — for betting
  23. key — in music
  24. bore — to drill

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