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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. chair — a leader
  3. band — a music group
  4. bulb — for light
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. rule — government
  7. band — a ring
  8. rule — a law
  9. rash — a series
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. rash — hasty
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. bark — to shout
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. bulb — for light
  24. wave — of the sea

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