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

Word bank: rule · pop · last · lie · band · mouse · bulb · bat

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. last — finally
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. last — final
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. last — to go on
  7. pop — soda
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. bulb — for light
  10. bat — the animal
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. rule — government
  15. band — a ring
  16. pop — to visit
  17. lie — to recline
  18. pop — music
  19. bulb — for light
  20. rule — a law
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. lie — an untruth

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