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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. spell — magic
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. lean — thin
  5. spell — a short time
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. mate — a partner
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. mate — to breed
  10. chair — a leader
  11. mate — a friend
  12. chest — of your body
  13. fall — to drop
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. fall — the season
  17. chest — a box
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. spell — letters
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. wake — a trail
  22. fall — to drop
  23. lean — to bend
  24. chest — of your body

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