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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 · key · pound

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. key — the most important part
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. mate — a friend
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. key — in music
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. mate — a partner
  10. pound — a weight
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. chair — a leader
  13. firm — a company
  14. rule — government
  15. firm — steady
  16. mate — to breed
  17. band — a ring
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. firm — decided
  20. band — a music group
  21. rule — a law
  22. key — for a lock
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. rule — to rule out

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