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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 still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. wind — moving air
  4. last — finally
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. rest — a break
  7. last — to go on
  8. scale — in music
  9. rash — hasty
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. scale — size or range
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. rash — a series
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. last — final
  17. mark — a grade
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. wind — moving air
  20. rest — what's left
  21. rest — what's left
  22. mark — a trace
  23. band — a music group
  24. rash — on the skin

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