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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. mark — a trace
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. charge — electricity
  7. last — finally
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. charge — in control
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. last — to go on
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. sharp — clever
  15. mark — a grade
  16. last — final
  17. band — a ring
  18. bat — the animal
  19. charge — a price
  20. band — a music group
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. hand — in cards

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