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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. bore — to tire
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. band — a music group
  6. rash — hasty
  7. land — ground
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. land — to come down
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. saw — the tool
  13. saw — the tool
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. bore — to drill
  16. chair — a leader
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. land — a country
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. rash — a series
  24. band — a ring

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