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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 120 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 still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. sharp — clever
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. chair — a leader
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. rock — music
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. rock — a stone
  22. band — a music group
  23. wake — a trail
  24. chair — a professorship

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