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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. present — there
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. mark — a grade
  5. face — to point toward
  6. rush — hurry
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. chest — a box
  9. charge — in control
  10. rash — hasty
  11. face — part of the head
  12. face — to confront
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. charge — a price
  15. chest — of your body
  16. present — the time now
  17. charge — electricity
  18. rash — a series
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. mark — a trace
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. chest — of your body
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. present — a gift

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