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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 124 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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. wound — an injury
  4. wound — an injury
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. file — a tool
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. staff — a stick
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. rush — hurry
  12. bound — tied together
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. staff — employees
  15. staff — employees
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. vault — a safe
  18. file — a line of people
  19. file — a document
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. bound — obliged
  22. lie — to recline
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. bound — certain

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