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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 put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. face — to point toward
  5. ball — a dance
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. face — to confront
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. band — a ring
  10. saw — the tool
  11. face — part of the head
  12. hand — help
  13. prune — to trim
  14. prune — to trim
  15. saw — the tool
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. band — a music group
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. chair — a leader
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. hand — in cards
  23. ball — a great time
  24. arm — part of the body

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