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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. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. firm — steady
  3. press — to push
  4. rest — what's left
  5. land — to come down
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. land — a country
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. band — a ring
  11. press — a publisher
  12. firm — decided
  13. band — a music group
  14. press — newspapers
  15. file — a line of people
  16. plane — a tool
  17. file — a tool
  18. rest — what's left
  19. land — ground
  20. rest — a break
  21. file — a document
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. chair — a leader
  24. firm — a company

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