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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. face — to confront
  4. ground — the earth
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. ground — crushed
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. band — a music group
  10. spell — a short time
  11. stand — to bear
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. spell — magic
  15. ground — a position
  16. face — part of the head
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. face — to point toward
  19. band — a ring
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. dip — to sink
  24. spell — letters

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