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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. current — of water
  4. pitch — completely
  5. spring — a coil
  6. band — a music group
  7. spring — of water
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. drill — a practice
  11. current — electric
  12. current — happening now
  13. mark — a trace
  14. band — a ring
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. drill — army training
  20. spring — the season
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. mark — a grade
  23. drill — the tool
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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