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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. can — a tin
  3. hand — in cards
  4. can — a tin
  5. band — a music group
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. craft — a skill
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. mark — a trace
  10. drill — the tool
  11. craft — boats
  12. lie — to recline
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. band — a ring
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. drill — army training
  18. drill — a practice
  19. hand — help
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. mark — a grade
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. can — to be able to

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