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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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. spell — a short time
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. fall — the season
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. fall — to drop
  8. mark — a trace
  9. degree — temperature
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. bat — the animal
  12. degree — from a university
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. mark — a grade
  15. object — a thing
  16. object — an aim
  17. degree — an amount
  18. spell — letters
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. fall — to drop
  22. spell — magic
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. object — to protest

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