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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. hand — help
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. face — to confront
  6. bank — for money
  7. chair — a leader
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. face — to point toward
  11. mate — to breed
  12. staff — employees
  13. band — a ring
  14. bank — for money
  15. mate — a friend
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. staff — a stick
  18. staff — employees
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. band — a music group
  21. bank — of a river
  22. face — part of the head
  23. foot — a measure
  24. hand — in cards

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