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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. deal — to handle
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. mark — a trace
  6. can — a tin
  7. band — a ring
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. rest — a break
  10. can — a tin
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. rest — what's left
  13. mark — a grade
  14. pound — a weight
  15. cell — a phone
  16. cell — in biology
  17. fine — all right
  18. rest — what's left
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. fine — high quality
  21. band — a music group
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. pound — to hit hard

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