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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: band · object · cap · mug · rush · date · swing · key

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. cap — of ice
  4. band — a ring
  5. object — a thing
  6. date — the fruit
  7. band — a music group
  8. mug — a cup
  9. object — an aim
  10. key — for a lock
  11. object — to protest
  12. cap — a lid
  13. key — in music
  14. mug — a face
  15. swing — in golf
  16. swing — to play on
  17. key — the most important part
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. swing — music
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. mug — to rob
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. cap — a hat

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