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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. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. court — for sport
  5. tear — to rip
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. tear — from crying
  8. date — the fruit
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. court — of a king
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. band — a ring
  13. tear — from crying
  14. field — for sport
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. shower — rain
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. field — farmland
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. toast — bread
  22. court — of law
  23. shower — to wash
  24. field — a subject

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