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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 120 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. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. wound — an injury
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. hand — help
  6. mark — a grade
  7. wound — an injury
  8. pop — to visit
  9. mark — a trace
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. pop — music
  13. hand — in cards
  14. fork — in a road
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. track — to keep track
  18. band — a music group
  19. band — a ring
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. pop — soda
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. track — a path
  24. track — a song

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