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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.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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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: band · chair · date · game · field · rest · rule · suit

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  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. field — for sport
  2. band — a ring
  3. rest — a break
  4. suit — to fit
  5. field — a subject
  6. rule — government
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. field — farmland
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. game — wild animals
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. suit — clothes
  13. band — a music group
  14. rest — what's left
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. suit — in cards
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. game — a match
  20. rest — what's left
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. date — the fruit
  23. rule — a law
  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