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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 still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. rest — what's left
  3. mine — for digging
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. toast — bread
  9. can — a tin
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. perch — the fish
  13. can — a tin
  14. rest — what's left
  15. can — to be able to
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. band — a music group
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. rest — a break
  24. toast — the most admired

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