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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. bound — tied together
  3. band — a ring
  4. band — a music group
  5. scale — size or range
  6. game — a match
  7. bat — the animal
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. bound — obliged
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. season — of the year
  16. game — wild animals
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. bound — certain
  19. scale — in music
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. chair — a leader
  24. season — in sport

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