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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. tube — the underground
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. court — of law
  6. wound — an injury
  7. band — a music group
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. court — for sport
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. band — a ring
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. court — of a king
  15. chair — a leader
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. mark — a grade
  18. mark — a trace
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. wound — an injury
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. tube — a container
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. jam — a tight spot

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