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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 nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. rock — music
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. bound — certain
  6. cell — in biology
  7. chair — a leader
  8. can — a tin
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. lie — to recline
  11. cell — a phone
  12. bound — obliged
  13. can — a tin
  14. bass — low music
  15. bass — the fish
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. can — to be able to
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. rock — a stone
  24. bound — tied together

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