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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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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: object · kid · wound · cap · band · rule · roll · jam

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. roll — a cake
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. cap — a hat
  6. band — a ring
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. rule — a law
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. object — an aim
  11. object — a thing
  12. cap — a lid
  13. roll — a list
  14. cap — of ice
  15. rule — government
  16. band — a music group
  17. object — to protest
  18. wound — an injury
  19. kid — child
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. kid — to tease
  23. wound — an injury
  24. roll — on a roll

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