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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. toast — bread
  6. chair — a leader
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. key — for a lock
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. key — the most important part
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. key — in music
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. cell — a phone
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. lie — to recline
  24. cell — in a prison

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