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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. band — a music group
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. hand — help
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. saw — the tool
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. rule — government
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. pound — a weight
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. hand — in cards
  14. mate — to breed
  15. mate — a partner
  16. ball — a great time
  17. ball — a dance
  18. mate — a friend
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. band — a ring
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. saw — the tool
  24. chair — a leader

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