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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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. hand — help
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. drill — a practice
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. band — a music group
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. bear — the animal
  10. hand — in cards
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. mark — a trace
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. drill — the tool
  15. bass — the fish
  16. pit — in a race
  17. mark — a grade
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. drill — army training
  20. bass — low music
  21. pit — a hole
  22. bear — the animal
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. pitcher — a jug

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