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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 116 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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. staff — a stick
  3. band — a ring
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. track — a song
  6. staff — employees
  7. ball — a great time
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. mark — a grade
  10. ball — a dance
  11. capital — money
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. mark — a trace
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. track — to keep track
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. capital — a city
  20. track — a path
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. band — a music group
  24. staff — employees

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