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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 had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. cold — an illness
  3. branch — a division
  4. suit — in cards
  5. game — wild animals
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. suit — to fit
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. suit — clothes
  10. ball — a great time
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. game — a match
  13. foot — a measure
  14. ball — a dance
  15. tube — the underground
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. cold — not warm
  22. tube — a container
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. band — a ring

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