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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's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. rash — hasty
  11. content — the amount
  12. row — to paddle
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. rash — a series
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. band — a ring
  18. row — a line
  19. pit — in a race
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. content — happy
  24. pit — a hole

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