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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 put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. cell — in biology
  3. bound — obliged
  4. bound — certain
  5. rash — hasty
  6. file — a document
  7. rash — a series
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. chair — a leader
  10. cell — a phone
  11. file — a line of people
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. band — a music group
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. vault — a safe
  19. bear — the animal
  20. file — a tool
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. bound — tied together
  23. band — a ring
  24. bear — the animal

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