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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's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. fine — all right
  4. board — a committee
  5. fine — high quality
  6. board — to get on
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. mark — a trace
  9. swing — music
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. swing — to play on
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. mark — a grade
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. tear — from crying
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. swing — in golf
  21. lie — to recline
  22. tear — from crying
  23. band — a ring
  24. tear — to rip

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