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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. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. present — a gift
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. chair — a leader
  7. hand — in cards
  8. band — a ring
  9. present — the time now
  10. rush — hurry
  11. rest — what's left
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. present — there
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. stand — to bear
  17. band — a music group
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. hand — help
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. rest — what's left
  22. rest — a break
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. stand — on your feet

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