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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. band — a ring
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. face — to point toward
  7. band — a music group
  8. rest — what's left
  9. face — part of the head
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. face — to confront
  12. hand — help
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. pound — a weight
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. chair — a leader
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. rest — what's left
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. rest — a break
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. bark — to shout

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