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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 120 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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. game — wild animals
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. spell — a short time
  5. band — a ring
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. band — a music group
  8. game — a match
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. spell — letters
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. firm — steady
  14. spell — magic
  15. mine — for digging
  16. mark — a grade
  17. firm — decided
  18. current — happening now
  19. current — of water
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. current — electric
  23. firm — a company
  24. mine — an explosive

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