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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  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. spring — a coil
  2. band — a music group
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. spring — the season
  10. chair — a leader
  11. perch — the fish
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. stand — to bear
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. snap — to click
  18. spring — of water
  19. board — a committee
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. sharp — clever
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. board — to get on
  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