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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. band — a music group
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. band — a ring
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. chair — a leader
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. net — in sport
  13. bear — the animal
  14. season — in sport
  15. net — for catching
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. bear — the animal
  18. season — of the year
  19. snap — to click
  20. net — after costs
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. bowl — to roll

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