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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 120 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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. rash — a series
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. pitch — completely
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. chair — a leader
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. bound — obliged
  13. bound — tied together
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. bound — certain
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. rash — hasty

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