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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.

Make a worksheet

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
468
Word bank
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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 put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. rule — a law
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. perch — the fish
  8. chair — a leader
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. band — a music group
  11. date — the fruit
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. drill — army training
  14. wind — moving air
  15. rule — government
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. drill — the tool
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. wind — moving air
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. drill — a practice
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. band — a ring

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