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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 120 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 refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. cue — for pool
  4. fall — to drop
  5. clip — to cut
  6. kid — child
  7. fall — to drop
  8. mug — a face
  9. cell — a phone
  10. clip — for paper
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. cue — a signal
  13. band — a ring
  14. band — a music group
  15. clip — a video
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. firm — steady
  18. cue — a hint
  19. fall — the season
  20. firm — decided
  21. kid — to tease
  22. cell — in biology
  23. mug — to rob
  24. firm — a company

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