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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. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. wound — an injury
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. mark — a trace
  8. mark — a grade
  9. face — to point toward
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. bat — the animal
  12. staff — employees
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. staff — a stick
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. wound — an injury
  17. band — a ring
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. face — to confront
  21. face — part of the head
  22. staff — employees
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. pass — a permit

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