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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. chest — of your body
  3. band — a ring
  4. band — a music group
  5. file — a tool
  6. mug — a cup
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. chest — of your body
  11. suit — clothes
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. chest — a box
  14. file — a document
  15. staff — a stick
  16. suit — in cards
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. suit — to fit
  21. staff — employees
  22. file — a line of people
  23. staff — employees
  24. mug — to rob

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