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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. band — a music group
  3. season — in sport
  4. mate — to breed
  5. rest — what's left
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. object — a thing
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. rest — what's left
  12. chair — a leader
  13. bear — the animal
  14. rest — a break
  15. content — happy
  16. mate — a friend
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. bear — the animal
  19. band — a ring
  20. content — the amount
  21. mate — a partner
  22. object — to protest
  23. season — of the year
  24. chair — a professorship

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