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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. band — a music group
  7. rock — a stone
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. cold — an illness
  12. rock — music
  13. rush — hurry
  14. cold — not warm
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. rash — a series
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. band — a ring
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. foot — a measure
  23. rash — hasty
  24. rash — on the skin

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