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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. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. mark — a grade
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. race — the arms race
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. mark — a trace
  9. band — a ring
  10. last — final
  11. prune — to trim
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. last — to go on
  14. last — finally
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. band — a music group
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. race — a contest
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. prune — to trim
  22. race — humankind
  23. roll — a cake
  24. band — a rubber band

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