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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. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. cap — of ice
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. band — a music group
  5. degree — temperature
  6. degree — an amount
  7. cap — a hat
  8. bass — low music
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. track — a song
  11. cap — a lid
  12. bulb — for light
  13. degree — from a university
  14. band — a ring
  15. track — to keep track
  16. ball — a great time
  17. ball — a dance
  18. rule — a law
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. track — a path
  21. rule — government
  22. bulb — for light
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. bass — the fish

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