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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 shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. rock — a stone
  3. rush — hurry
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. fall — the season
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. present — there
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. cold — not warm
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. fall — to drop
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. fall — to drop
  16. cold — an illness
  17. mark — a trace
  18. present — a gift
  19. rock — music
  20. mark — a grade
  21. band — a music group
  22. present — the time now
  23. band — a ring
  24. nail — on a finger

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