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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. club — for dancing
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. cap — of ice
  5. band — a ring
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. cap — a hat
  9. wake — a trail
  10. mark — a grade
  11. suit — clothes
  12. mark — a trace
  13. saw — the tool
  14. suit — to fit
  15. cap — a lid
  16. band — a music group
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. club — a group
  20. saw — the tool
  21. club — for golf
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. suit — in cards

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