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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. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. band — a ring
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. cap — a lid
  5. foot — a measure
  6. key — for a lock
  7. cap — of ice
  8. land — a country
  9. cap — a hat
  10. band — a music group
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. land — ground
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. roll — a list
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. key — in music
  21. plane — a tool
  22. land — to come down
  23. roll — a cake
  24. key — the most important part

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