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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. degree — an amount
  3. lie — to recline
  4. file — a tool
  5. object — a thing
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. band — a ring
  8. charge — a price
  9. capital — money
  10. vault — a safe
  11. file — a document
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. charge — electricity
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. band — a music group
  16. capital — a city
  17. file — a line of people
  18. object — to protest
  19. degree — from a university
  20. degree — temperature
  21. charge — in control
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. object — an aim
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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