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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. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. squash — to crush
  3. spring — of water
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. chest — of your body
  6. spring — a coil
  7. chair — a leader
  8. band — a music group
  9. band — a ring
  10. foot — a measure
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. can — to be able to
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. can — a tin
  17. spring — the season
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. squash — the sport
  20. can — a tin
  21. kick — in football
  22. chest — of your body
  23. chest — a box
  24. kick — a thrill

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