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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. band — a music group
  3. mark — a grade
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. mug — a face
  6. band — a ring
  7. mug — a cup
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. mug — to rob
  10. cold — not warm
  11. rest — what's left
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. rest — what's left
  14. scale — in music
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. cold — an illness
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. mark — a trace
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. scale — size or range

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