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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: club · dip · ruler · saw · fine · net · band · chest

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. band — a music group
  3. saw — the tool
  4. dip — to sink
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. net — for catching
  8. band — a ring
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. club — for golf
  12. club — for dancing
  13. fine — high quality
  14. club — a group
  15. chest — of your body
  16. chest — of your body
  17. saw — the tool
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. chest — a box
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. net — after costs
  23. net — in sport
  24. band — a rubber band

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