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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. mark — a trace
  3. band — a ring
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. field — a subject
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. file — a tool
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. file — a document
  10. foot — a measure
  11. plane — a tool
  12. charge — electricity
  13. charge — a price
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. field — farmland
  16. file — a line of people
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. mark — a grade
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. pass — a permit
  21. charge — in control
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. field — for sport
  24. plane — an aircraft

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