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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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. board — a committee
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. lean — thin
  6. band — a music group
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. track — a path
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. rule — government
  12. lean — to bend
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. land — to come down
  16. chair — a leader
  17. track — a song
  18. track — to keep track
  19. board — to get on
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. land — a country
  22. land — ground
  23. rule — a law
  24. dip — to sink

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