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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. bore — to drill
  4. track — a path
  5. staff — a stick
  6. track — a song
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. wind — moving air
  10. rest — what's left
  11. staff — employees
  12. rest — what's left
  13. pass — a permit
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. track — to keep track
  16. bore — to tire
  17. wind — moving air
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. staff — employees
  20. band — a ring
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. rest — a break
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. band — a music group

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