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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 pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. wound — an injury
  3. band — a music group
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. mark — a grade
  7. wound — an injury
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. band — a ring
  12. game — a match
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. snap — to click
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. chair — a leader
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. mark — a trace
  22. shower — rain
  23. shower — to wash
  24. chair — to sit on

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