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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 120 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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. stock — shares
  3. chair — a leader
  4. last — to go on
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. last — final
  7. foot — a measure
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. bound — tied together
  10. band — a music group
  11. wound — an injury
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. wound — an injury
  17. last — finally
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. stock — goods
  20. band — a ring
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. bound — obliged
  24. bound — certain

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