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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 116 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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. mine — for digging
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. last — finally
  5. bat — the animal
  6. deal — to handle
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. last — final
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. club — for golf
  14. last — to go on
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. club — for dancing
  18. mark — a grade
  19. club — a group
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. mark — a trace
  24. ruler — a monarch

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