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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 116 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. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. charge — electricity
  4. mate — a friend
  5. sharp — clever
  6. last — final
  7. last — finally
  8. band — a ring
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. mate — a partner
  11. perch — the fish
  12. mate — to breed
  13. bore — to tire
  14. bore — to drill
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. charge — a price
  18. band — a music group
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. bulb — for light
  21. last — to go on
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. charge — in control
  24. bulb — for light

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