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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. object — an aim
  3. band — a ring
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. band — a music group
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. march — the month
  8. march — the month
  9. mark — a trace
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. lean — thin
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. object — a thing
  15. mark — a grade
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. object — to protest
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. lean — to bend
  22. march — music
  23. snap — to click
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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