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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  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. present — the time now
  2. fall — to drop
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. pop — to visit
  5. band — a music group
  6. pop — soda
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. rush — hurry
  9. present — a gift
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. fall — to drop
  12. sharp — clever
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. mark — a trace
  16. band — a ring
  17. fall — the season
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. pop — music
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. present — there
  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