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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: hide · chair · firm · mate · band · rule

  1. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. band — a music group
  3. mate — a partner
  4. band — a ring
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. chair — a leader
  10. firm — steady
  11. mate — a friend
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. firm — decided
  15. mate — to breed
  16. rule — government
  17. rule — a law
  18. band — a rubber band

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