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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. mate — a partner
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. band — a ring
  5. bound — obliged
  6. present — a gift
  7. squash — the sport
  8. present — there
  9. bound — certain
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. band — a music group
  13. mate — to breed
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. vault — a safe
  16. bound — tied together
  17. squash — to crush
  18. rock — music
  19. rock — a stone
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. mate — a friend
  23. present — the time now
  24. chair — a leader

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