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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. mark — a grade
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. band — a ring
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. mark — a trace
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. cold — not warm
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. stand — to bear
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. pitch — completely
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. cold — an illness
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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