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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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. shower — to wash
  3. key — in music
  4. chair — a leader
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. fall — to drop
  7. key — for a lock
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. fall — the season
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. rule — government
  14. shower — rain
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. key — the most important part
  17. band — a music group
  18. fork — in a road
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. fall — to drop
  21. bulb — for light
  22. rule — a law
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. bulb — for light

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