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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's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. ball — a dance
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. scale — in music
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. field — a subject
  10. ball — a great time
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. band — a ring
  13. tube — the underground
  14. field — farmland
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. field — for sport
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. pitch — completely
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. scale — size or range
  24. tube — a container

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