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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: deal · spell · face · bat · chair · ruler · rock · band

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. spell — magic
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. band — a ring
  6. rock — a stone
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. rock — music
  9. spell — a short time
  10. bat — the animal
  11. face — to point toward
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. chair — a leader
  15. deal — to handle
  16. face — to confront
  17. band — a music group
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. face — part of the head
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. spell — letters
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. bat — in an idiom

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