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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. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. wind — moving air
  3. bore — to tire
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. last — to go on
  7. band — a ring
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. court — of a king
  10. court — of law
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. court — for sport
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. band — a music group
  17. last — finally
  18. last — final
  19. kick — in football
  20. chair — a leader
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. pound — a weight
  23. wind — moving air
  24. bore — to drill

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