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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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. object — a thing
  3. ball — a great time
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. scale — in music
  6. bank — for money
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. bound — certain
  9. chair — a leader
  10. bound — tied together
  11. bound — obliged
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. scale — size or range
  15. object — to protest
  16. bank — of a river
  17. ball — a dance
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. lie — to recline
  22. bank — for money
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. object — an aim

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