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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. band — a ring
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. degree — from a university
  5. band — a music group
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. scale — size or range
  9. pop — music
  10. pop — to visit
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. degree — an amount
  15. rock — music
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. net — after costs
  18. rock — a stone
  19. mine — for digging
  20. net — for catching
  21. pop — soda
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. scale — in music
  24. degree — temperature

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