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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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468
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: plane · mug · bulb · band · game · pitch · file · ball

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. pitch — completely
  6. plane — a tool
  7. ball — a great time
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. game — wild animals
  11. file — a tool
  12. mug — a face
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. file — a document
  15. file — a line of people
  16. mug — to rob
  17. mug — a cup
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. band — a music group
  20. game — a match
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. ball — a dance
  23. bulb — for light
  24. bulb — for light

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