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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. swing — to play on
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. band — a music group
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. pass — a permit
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. band — a ring
  13. mark — a trace
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. plane — a tool
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. mark — a grade
  19. swing — music
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. swing — in golf
  24. hand — in cards

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