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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: pop · pitcher · court · cell · band · toast · object · rest

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. object — a thing
  3. pop — music
  4. band — a music group
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. object — an aim
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. court — of a king
  11. band — a ring
  12. rest — a break
  13. cell — a phone
  14. toast — bread
  15. pop — to visit
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. rest — what's left
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. cell — in biology
  21. rest — what's left
  22. court — of law
  23. pop — soda
  24. court — for sport

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