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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 124 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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. band — a music group
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. snap — to click
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. mark — a grade
  8. present — there
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. foot — a measure
  16. present — the time now
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. dip — to sink
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. present — a gift
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. mark — a trace
  24. hide — to keep secret

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