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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. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. game — a match
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. chip — to eat
  8. chair — a leader
  9. chip — for betting
  10. bound — obliged
  11. game — wild animals
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. shower — to wash
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. band — a ring
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. bound — tied together
  18. band — a music group
  19. shower — rain
  20. rest — what's left
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. bound — certain
  24. rest — a break

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