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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 put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. lean — thin
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. bass — the fish
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. game — a match
  8. band — a music group
  9. band — a ring
  10. plane — a tool
  11. bear — the animal
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. kick — in football
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. deal — to handle
  16. bear — the animal
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. lean — to bend
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. bass — low music
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. game — wild animals

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