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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. rock — music
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. mark — a grade
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. band — a music group
  7. chest — a box
  8. fork — in a road
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. pit — a hole
  11. chest — of your body
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. pit — in a race
  15. rock — a stone
  16. band — a ring
  17. ball — a dance
  18. race — a contest
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. race — humankind
  21. chest — of your body
  22. race — the arms race
  23. ball — a great time
  24. mark — a trace

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