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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 116 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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. wound — an injury
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. season — in sport
  6. lie — to recline
  7. file — a document
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. chair — a leader
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. file — a line of people
  20. season — of the year
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. wound — an injury
  23. file — a tool
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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