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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 120 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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. chest — of your body
  3. mark — a trace
  4. rock — music
  5. club — for dancing
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. club — a group
  8. band — a ring
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. race — humankind
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. chest — a box
  13. club — for golf
  14. band — a music group
  15. race — the arms race
  16. content — happy
  17. plane — a tool
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. race — a contest
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. content — the amount
  23. chest — of your body
  24. rock — a stone

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