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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: swing · fan · mark · foot · band · pass · present · mine

  1. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. present — the time now
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. foot — a measure
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. present — there
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. pass — a permit
  16. mine — for digging
  17. band — a ring
  18. present — a gift
  19. swing — in golf
  20. swing — to play on
  21. mark — a grade
  22. swing — music
  23. band — a music group
  24. mark — a trace

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