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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. mug — a face
  3. stand — to bear
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. wake — a trail
  6. chest — of your body
  7. rash — hasty
  8. band — a music group
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. chest — of your body
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. mug — to rob
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. pit — a hole
  16. mug — a cup
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. chest — a box
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. pit — in a race
  24. rash — a series

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