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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. pass — a permit
  5. band — a music group
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. fall — to drop
  8. pop — music
  9. mark — a grade
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. mark — a trace
  12. pop — soda
  13. stock — goods
  14. fall — to drop
  15. stock — shares
  16. pop — to visit
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. band — a ring
  23. fall — the season
  24. cell — in biology

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