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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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. band — a ring
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. band — a music group
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. suit — clothes
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. rest — what's left
  12. mark — a trace
  13. suit — to fit
  14. suit — in cards
  15. rest — what's left
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. rest — a break
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. prune — to trim
  22. mark — a grade
  23. chair — a leader
  24. prune — to trim

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