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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. pit — a hole
  3. mark — a trace
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. snap — to click
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. band — a music group
  9. staff — a stick
  10. pit — in a race
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. hand — in cards
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. band — a ring
  16. staff — employees
  17. staff — employees
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. hand — help
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. mark — a grade
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. wave — with your hand

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