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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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. club — a group
  4. cold — an illness
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. can — a tin
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. press — to push
  11. hand — help
  12. press — a publisher
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. cold — not warm
  15. can — a tin
  16. press — newspapers
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. club — for dancing
  19. can — to be able to
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. club — for golf
  22. hand — in cards
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. mark — a grade

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