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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: board · cell · chest · band · pop · ruler · cabinet · pitcher

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. board — to get on
  3. cell — a phone
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. band — a ring
  6. board — a committee
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. cell — in biology
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. chest — of your body
  18. pop — soda
  19. pop — to visit
  20. chest — of your body
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. band — a music group
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. chest — a box

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