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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. band — a music group
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. wax — to grow
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. mine — for digging
  12. bound — obliged
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. bound — tied together
  15. chair — a leader
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. band — a ring
  18. bound — certain
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. date — the fruit
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. ruler — a monarch

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