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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. band — a ring
  3. bass — the fish
  4. land — a country
  5. chair — a leader
  6. suit — in cards
  7. land — ground
  8. ball — a dance
  9. bass — low music
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. wake — a trail
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. band — a music group
  15. suit — clothes
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. land — to come down
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. suit — to fit
  20. pass — a permit
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. ball — a great time
  24. wake — before a funeral

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