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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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. mark — a trace
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. cue — a hint
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. pit — a hole
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. file — a document
  12. mark — a grade
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. pit — in a race
  15. cue — for pool
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. cue — a signal
  21. file — a tool
  22. band — a music group
  23. rush — hurry
  24. file — a line of people

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