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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. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. chair — a leader
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. bound — obliged
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. tear — to rip
  7. rock — a stone
  8. rock — music
  9. bound — certain
  10. tear — from crying
  11. bear — the animal
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. tear — from crying
  17. bound — tied together
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. bear — the animal
  20. file — a line of people
  21. file — a document
  22. file — a tool
  23. band — a music group
  24. band — a ring

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