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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. chest — of your body
  3. chair — a leader
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. march — music
  8. court — for sport
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. band — a music group
  11. wake — a trail
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. march — the month
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. chest — of your body
  18. toast — bread
  19. march — the month
  20. court — of law
  21. court — of a king
  22. band — a ring
  23. chest — a box
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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