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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's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. kid — to tease
  3. club — a group
  4. mate — a friend
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. pass — a permit
  8. kid — child
  9. club — for golf
  10. wake — a trail
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. mate — a partner
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. chair — a leader
  21. band — a ring
  22. club — for dancing
  23. mate — to breed
  24. pass — to spend time

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