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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. track — a song
  3. band — a music group
  4. band — a ring
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. pit — in a race
  8. pit — a hole
  9. track — to keep track
  10. bore — to tire
  11. wind — moving air
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. tear — from crying
  14. wind — moving air
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. tear — to rip
  17. track — a path
  18. bore — to drill
  19. tear — from crying
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. chair — a leader
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. safe — out of danger

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