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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. cap — a lid
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. cap — of ice
  5. band — a ring
  6. file — a line of people
  7. net — for catching
  8. file — a document
  9. present — a gift
  10. net — after costs
  11. present — there
  12. degree — temperature
  13. net — in sport
  14. cap — a hat
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. file — a tool
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. degree — from a university
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. rush — hurry
  21. degree — an amount
  22. present — the time now
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. band — a music group

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