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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 116 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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. net — in sport
  3. band — a music group
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. face — part of the head
  6. cue — for pool
  7. face — to confront
  8. track — a path
  9. cue — a signal
  10. track — a song
  11. band — a ring
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. face — to point toward
  14. net — for catching
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. cold — not warm
  18. net — after costs
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. cue — a hint
  21. cold — an illness
  22. track — to keep track
  23. fine — high quality
  24. cold — the Cold War

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