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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. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. band — a music group
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. cell — a phone
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. cell — in biology
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. bear — the animal
  10. chair — a leader
  11. last — to go on
  12. last — finally
  13. fine — all right
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. last — final
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. roll — a cake
  22. band — a ring
  23. fine — high quality
  24. bear — the animal

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