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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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. cell — a phone
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. fork — in a road
  6. squash — the sport
  7. band — a music group
  8. cell — in biology
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. squash — to crush
  11. band — a ring
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. roll — a list
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. mark — a grade
  19. drill — army training
  20. drill — the tool
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. drill — a practice
  24. roll — a cake

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