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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 still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  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. band — a ring
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. squash — the sport
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. bat — the animal
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. fine — high quality
  9. rock — music
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. fine — all right
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. rock — a stone
  18. band — a music group
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. date — the fruit
  22. squash — to crush
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  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