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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. band — a ring
  3. wake — a trail
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. mark — a grade
  6. last — finally
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. bass — low music
  10. key — in music
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. hand — in cards
  13. last — final
  14. mark — a trace
  15. bass — the fish
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. hand — help
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. key — for a lock
  21. last — to go on
  22. key — the most important part
  23. band — a music group
  24. dip — to sink

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