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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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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: mine · rash · mate · board · sharp · band · rock · pitcher

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  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. rock — music
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. band — a ring
  4. band — a music group
  5. sharp — clever
  6. mine — for digging
  7. board — to get on
  8. mate — a partner
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. board — a committee
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. rock — a stone
  16. mate — a friend
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. mate — to breed
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. rash — a series
  23. rash — hasty
  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