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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. content — happy
  4. swing — music
  5. rash — a series
  6. swing — in golf
  7. rest — what's left
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. swing — to play on
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. club — for dancing
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. band — a music group
  14. chair — a leader
  15. rest — what's left
  16. content — the amount
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. rest — a break
  19. club — a group
  20. club — for golf
  21. rash — hasty
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. band — a ring
  24. content — videos and posts

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