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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 still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. band — a music group
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. ball — a great time
  7. pass — a permit
  8. roll — a cake
  9. roll — a list
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. ball — a dance
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. tube — a container
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. chair — a leader
  20. tube — the underground
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. hand — help
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. hand — in cards

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