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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. race — a contest
  4. saw — the tool
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. saw — the tool
  9. bat — the animal
  10. race — humankind
  11. rule — government
  12. band — a ring
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. mark — a trace
  16. mark — a grade
  17. branch — a division
  18. band — a music group
  19. rule — a law
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. race — the arms race
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. branch — of a bank

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