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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's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. chair — a leader
  3. cap — a lid
  4. bore — to drill
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. row — to paddle
  8. cap — a hat
  9. cap — of ice
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. band — a ring
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. sharp — clever
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. bore — to tire
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. row — a line
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. sharp — exactly

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