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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. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. fall — to drop
  4. fall — the season
  5. march — the month
  6. chair — a leader
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. fall — to drop
  9. band — a music group
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. march — the month
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. band — a ring
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. march — music
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. toast — bread
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. calf — a young animal

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