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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 ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. drill — a practice
  4. drill — the tool
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. cell — a phone
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. drill — army training
  11. board — a committee
  12. rest — a break
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. pound — a weight
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. board — to get on
  19. cell — in biology
  20. bat — the animal
  21. rest — what's left
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. band — a ring
  24. band — a music group

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