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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 116 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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. mate — a partner
  3. pit — in a race
  4. chair — a leader
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. pit — a hole
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. last — finally
  11. last — to go on
  12. mate — to breed
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. band — a music group
  17. pass — a permit
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. mate — a friend
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. branch — a division
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. last — final

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