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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: mark · last · race · band · lie · ruler · cold · net

  1. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. band — a music group
  3. net — after costs
  4. net — in sport
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. last — to go on
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. race — a contest
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. net — for catching
  14. lie — to recline
  15. last — finally
  16. last — final
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. mark — a trace
  19. cold — not warm
  20. race — humankind
  21. race — the arms race
  22. cold — an illness
  23. band — a ring
  24. cold — the Cold War

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