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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. present — a gift
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. mark — a trace
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. present — the time now
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. snap — to click
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. chair — a leader
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. vault — a safe
  16. band — a music group
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. band — a ring
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. present — there
  24. mark — a grade

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