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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. band — a ring
  4. rush — hurry
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. staff — employees
  7. suit — clothes
  8. wound — an injury
  9. field — for sport
  10. net — for catching
  11. staff — employees
  12. suit — to fit
  13. staff — a stick
  14. field — farmland
  15. chip — for betting
  16. chip — to eat
  17. field — a subject
  18. band — a music group
  19. net — in sport
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. wound — an injury
  23. suit — in cards
  24. net — after costs

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