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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. bat — the animal
  3. band — a music group
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. capital — money
  6. charge — electricity
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. mark — a grade
  10. charge — a price
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. bark — to shout
  13. mark — a trace
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. charge — in control
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. season — of the year
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. band — a ring
  23. season — in sport
  24. capital — a city

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