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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  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 ring
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. tear — from crying
  4. mark — a grade
  5. tear — to rip
  6. fine — all right
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. sharp — clever
  11. ball — a dance
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. mark — a trace
  14. chair — a leader
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. band — a music group
  17. rule — government
  18. tear — from crying
  19. fine — high quality
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. rule — a law
  23. ball — a great time
  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