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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. bound — obliged
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. hand — in cards
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. degree — an amount
  8. bound — certain
  9. foot — a measure
  10. bear — the animal
  11. bound — tied together
  12. degree — temperature
  13. band — a music group
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. band — a ring
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. hand — help
  18. chair — a leader
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. degree — from a university
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. bear — the animal

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