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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. mine — for digging
  3. chip — to eat
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. shower — rain
  8. face — to point toward
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. band — a ring
  16. band — a music group
  17. chip — for betting
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. face — to confront
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. face — part of the head
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. shower — to wash

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