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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. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. toast — bread
  3. hand — help
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. band — a music group
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. fork — in a road
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. band — a ring
  10. pass — a permit
  11. lie — to recline
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. mark — a grade
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. hand — in cards
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. patient — a sick person

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