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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. mark — a grade
  3. band — a ring
  4. field — a subject
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. object — an aim
  7. object — to protest
  8. capital — a city
  9. last — final
  10. field — farmland
  11. pound — a weight
  12. field — for sport
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. band — a music group
  17. capital — money
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. rush — hurry
  20. last — finally
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. last — to go on
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. object — a thing

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