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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. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. file — a line of people
  3. craft — a skill
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. wind — moving air
  7. craft — boats
  8. file — a document
  9. wind — moving air
  10. swing — to play on
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. content — happy
  14. content — the amount
  15. band — a music group
  16. band — a ring
  17. chair — a leader
  18. swing — music
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. swing — in golf
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. file — a tool
  24. wind — to turn a key

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