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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's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. fall — to drop
  4. rest — what's left
  5. band — a ring
  6. fall — the season
  7. rest — a break
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. mine — for digging
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. cap — of ice
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. cap — a lid
  17. chair — a leader
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. fall — to drop
  21. cap — a hat
  22. rest — what's left
  23. perch — the fish
  24. perch — for a bird

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