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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. chair — a leader
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. band — a ring
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. tear — from crying
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. prune — to trim
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. band — a music group
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. prune — to trim
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. tear — from crying
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. toast — bread
  24. tear — to rip

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