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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. ball — a great time
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. suit — clothes
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. band — a music group
  8. last — to go on
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. last — finally
  11. suit — to fit
  12. snap — to click
  13. foot — a measure
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. ball — a dance
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. last — final
  20. suit — in cards
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. foot — part of the body

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