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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. bear — the animal
  5. mark — a trace
  6. court — of law
  7. bear — the animal
  8. court — for sport
  9. band — a ring
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. march — music
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. march — the month
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. board — a committee
  16. rush — hurry
  17. hand — in cards
  18. court — of a king
  19. band — a music group
  20. march — the month
  21. mark — a grade
  22. hand — help
  23. board — to get on
  24. mark — to pay attention

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