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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. bore — to tire
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. spell — magic
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. track — a song
  9. spell — a short time
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. track — a path
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. net — for catching
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. spell — letters
  16. net — after costs
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. track — to keep track
  19. net — in sport
  20. dip — to sink
  21. chair — a leader
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. bore — to drill

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