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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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. mug — to rob
  5. bore — to tire
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. chair — a leader
  10. band — a music group
  11. bore — to drill
  12. mug — a face
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. mug — a cup
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. current — electric
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. current — happening now
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. current — of water

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