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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. tear — to rip
  3. spell — a short time
  4. wind — moving air
  5. wind — moving air
  6. band — a music group
  7. band — a ring
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. cell — in biology
  12. spell — letters
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. mark — a grade
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. tear — from crying
  18. chair — a leader
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. tear — from crying
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. spell — magic
  23. mark — a trace
  24. cell — a phone

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