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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. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. staff — employees
  6. tear — from crying
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. foot — a measure
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. pound — a weight
  11. tear — from crying
  12. wound — an injury
  13. scale — in music
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. wound — an injury
  16. chair — a leader
  17. staff — employees
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. tear — to rip
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. staff — a stick
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. scale — size or range

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