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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. ground — the earth
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. chair — a leader
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. ground — crushed
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. scale — in music
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. cell — a phone
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. scale — size or range
  17. net — in sport
  18. net — for catching
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. net — after costs
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. stand — to bear
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. ground — a position

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