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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. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. chair — a leader
  3. band — a music group
  4. band — a ring
  5. rest — what's left
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. rest — a break
  11. foot — a measure
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. fine — all right
  15. rest — what's left
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. bat — the animal
  21. fine — high quality
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. hide — to keep secret

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