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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. shower — rain
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. band — a music group
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. board — a committee
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. shower — to wash
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. mark — a grade
  12. board — to get on
  13. ground — crushed
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. wake — a trail
  18. ground — a position
  19. mark — a trace
  20. foot — a measure
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. date — the fruit
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. ground — the earth

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