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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. cap — of ice
  3. rush — hurry
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. saw — the tool
  6. mug — to rob
  7. band — a music group
  8. ground — the earth
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. ground — a position
  11. cap — a hat
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. cap — a lid
  14. ground — crushed
  15. band — a ring
  16. mug — a cup
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. object — an aim
  19. saw — the tool
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. object — a thing
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. mug — a face

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