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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 don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. court — for sport
  5. roll — a cake
  6. rock — a stone
  7. roll — a list
  8. lean — thin
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. file — a tool
  11. file — a line of people
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. rock — music
  16. lean — to bend
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. court — of law
  19. court — of a king
  20. file — a document
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. band — a ring
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. nail — for a hammer

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