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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. last — final
  8. last — to go on
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. band — a ring
  12. bulb — for light
  13. deal — to handle
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. bulb — for light
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. cell — in biology
  19. band — a music group
  20. cell — a phone
  21. mark — a grade
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. pound — a weight
  24. mark — a trace

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