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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 still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. cue — a hint
  3. season — in sport
  4. season — of the year
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. fall — to drop
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. fine — all right
  9. band — a music group
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. fall — the season
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. rush — hurry
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. cue — a signal
  19. fall — to drop
  20. wound — an injury
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. wound — an injury
  23. fine — high quality
  24. cue — for pool

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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