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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 still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. bass — low music
  4. season — of the year
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. content — happy
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. season — in sport
  13. rest — what's left
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. rest — what's left
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. wake — a trail
  18. rest — a break
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. content — the amount
  21. band — a music group
  22. bass — the fish
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. nail — on a finger

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