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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 put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. hand — help
  3. rule — government
  4. firm — a company
  5. swing — to play on
  6. firm — steady
  7. swing — music
  8. cap — a lid
  9. lie — to recline
  10. cap — of ice
  11. band — a music group
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. swing — in golf
  14. rule — a law
  15. band — a ring
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. mine — for digging
  21. firm — decided
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. cap — a hat
  24. hand — in cards

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