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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. lie — to recline
  3. bound — certain
  4. band — a ring
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. tube — a container
  7. band — a music group
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. bound — tied together
  11. tube — the underground
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. squash — the sport
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. bound — obliged
  22. squash — to crush
  23. chair — a leader
  24. lie — an untruth

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