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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. band — a music group
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. last — final
  11. bat — the animal
  12. dip — to sink
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. last — finally
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. mark — a trace
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. band — a ring
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. last — to go on
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. mark — a grade
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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