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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: suit · cap · rush · can · bay · bat · charge · band

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  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. rush — hurry
  2. band — a ring
  3. suit — to fit
  4. can — a tin
  5. can — a tin
  6. suit — clothes
  7. cap — of ice
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. cap — a lid
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. band — a music group
  13. charge — a price
  14. charge — electricity
  15. can — to be able to
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. bat — the animal
  20. suit — in cards
  21. cap — a hat
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. charge — in control
  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