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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. present — a gift
  5. net — in sport
  6. sharp — clever
  7. present — the time now
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. wax — to grow
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. chair — a leader
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. mine — for digging
  17. present — there
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. lie — to recline
  20. net — for catching
  21. row — to paddle
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. net — after costs
  24. row — a line

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