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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 120 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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. rock — a stone
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. shower — rain
  5. band — a ring
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. land — ground
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. wake — a trail
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. land — to come down
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. spell — magic
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. band — a music group
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. rock — music
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. spell — a short time
  21. spell — letters
  22. chair — a leader
  23. land — a country
  24. shower — to wash

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