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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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Word bank
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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: band · squash · hand · last · mate · fine · lie · mark

  1. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. band — a music group
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. last — to go on
  6. mate — to breed
  7. last — finally
  8. mate — a partner
  9. lie — to recline
  10. band — a ring
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. squash — the sport
  13. fine — high quality
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. mate — a friend
  17. mark — a trace
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. fine — all right
  20. last — final
  21. squash — to crush
  22. hand — in cards
  23. mark — a grade
  24. hand — help

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