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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'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  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. land — ground
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. march — music
  4. band — a music group
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. band — a ring
  7. mark — a grade
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. stem — to come from
  11. land — to come down
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. land — a country
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. mark — a trace
  16. march — the month
  17. chair — a leader
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. march — the month
  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