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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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. fall — the season
  4. chair — a leader
  5. mark — a grade
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. fall — to drop
  8. charge — in control
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. band — a music group
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. fall — to drop
  15. fork — in a road
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. charge — electricity
  18. wound — an injury
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. band — a ring
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. wound — an injury
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. charge — a price

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