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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 put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. chair — a leader
  3. band — a ring
  4. band — a music group
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. content — happy
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. content — the amount
  9. charge — in control
  10. charge — electricity
  11. lean — thin
  12. rush — hurry
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. firm — steady
  15. charge — a price
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. firm — decided
  19. lean — to bend
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. sharp — clever
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. firm — a company

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