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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. band — a music group
  4. band — a ring
  5. track — to keep track
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. track — a path
  9. mate — a friend
  10. staff — a stick
  11. mate — a partner
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. chair — a leader
  14. staff — employees
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. mine — for digging
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. hand — in cards
  20. track — a song
  21. staff — employees
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. mate — to breed
  24. hand — help

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