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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. drill — the tool
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. file — a line of people
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. chair — a leader
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. file — a document
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. band — a ring
  16. drill — army training
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. drill — a practice
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. file — a tool
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. date — the fruit

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