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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. He is an ace ________________.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. charge — electricity
  6. deal — to handle
  7. suit — to fit
  8. field — for sport
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. chair — a leader
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. band — a music group
  15. suit — clothes
  16. snap — to click
  17. band — a ring
  18. suit — in cards
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. charge — a price
  21. field — a subject
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. charge — in control
  24. field — farmland

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