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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. mug — a face
  5. file — a line of people
  6. swing — in golf
  7. band — a music group
  8. swing — music
  9. mug — a cup
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. file — a document
  12. chair — a leader
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. object — a thing
  15. object — an aim
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. swing — to play on
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. mug — to rob
  20. date — the fruit
  21. band — a ring
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. file — a tool
  24. racket — for tennis

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