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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  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 — to pay attention
  2. rush — hurry
  3. hand — in cards
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. season — of the year
  8. mark — a grade
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. swing — in golf
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. band — a ring
  15. swing — music
  16. hand — help
  17. swing — to play on
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. rash — a series
  21. season — in sport
  22. rash — hasty
  23. mark — a trace
  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