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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 still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. last — to go on
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. can — a tin
  5. bound — certain
  6. mug — a face
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. can — a tin
  11. bound — obliged
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. last — final
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. mug — to rob
  18. can — to be able to
  19. last — finally
  20. mug — a cup
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. band — a music group
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. bound — tied together

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