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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. band — a ring
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. chest — of your body
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. snap — to click
  9. chair — a leader
  10. fork — in a road
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. band — a music group
  16. chest — of your body
  17. chest — a box
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. wake — a trail
  24. chair — a professorship

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