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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. pit — in a race
  4. foot — a measure
  5. spell — letters
  6. cold — an illness
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. spell — magic
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. rest — what's left
  12. band — a ring
  13. rest — what's left
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. cold — not warm
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. spell — a short time
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. pit — a hole
  21. pass — a permit
  22. branch — a division
  23. rest — a break
  24. pass — to spend time

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