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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 120 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 · club · arm · racket · pop · cap · file · can

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. pop — to visit
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. pop — soda
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. club — for dancing
  9. pop — music
  10. band — a ring
  11. club — a group
  12. cap — a hat
  13. file — a line of people
  14. cap — a lid
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. club — for golf
  17. band — a music group
  18. file — a document
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. can — a tin
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. can — a tin
  23. file — a tool
  24. can — to be able to

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