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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 116 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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. band — a music group
  4. last — to go on
  5. fine — all right
  6. mark — a trace
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. last — final
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. pound — a weight
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. drill — a practice
  14. stock — goods
  15. mark — a grade
  16. hand — help
  17. drill — army training
  18. stock — shares
  19. last — finally
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. fine — high quality
  22. drill — the tool
  23. band — a ring
  24. fine — a penalty

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