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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. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. net — in sport
  4. shower — to wash
  5. shower — rain
  6. plane — a tool
  7. band — a ring
  8. sharp — clever
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. band — a music group
  13. net — for catching
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. net — after costs
  19. staff — employees
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. staff — employees
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. staff — a stick
  24. jam — in traffic

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