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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. band — a ring
  3. chair — a leader
  4. rash — a series
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. track — to keep track
  8. prune — to trim
  9. dip — to sink
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. track — a song
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. mug — a face
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. mug — a cup
  19. track — a path
  20. prune — to trim
  21. mug — to rob
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. band — a music group

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