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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. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. hand — help
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. stand — to bear
  5. mate — a friend
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. hand — in cards
  9. band — a music group
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. rule — a law
  12. mate — to breed
  13. mate — a partner
  14. net — for catching
  15. staff — employees
  16. net — in sport
  17. rule — government
  18. band — a ring
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. craft — a skill
  21. craft — boats
  22. staff — employees
  23. net — after costs
  24. staff — a stick

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