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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. tear — to rip
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. fine — high quality
  5. chest — of your body
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. tear — from crying
  8. fine — all right
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. tear — from crying
  14. band — a ring
  15. mug — a cup
  16. chest — a box
  17. mug — to rob
  18. chest — of your body
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. mug — a face
  23. mark — a grade
  24. band — a music group

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