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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. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. pitch — completely
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. land — a country
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. capital — a city
  8. chair — a leader
  9. mug — a cup
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. land — to come down
  12. tear — from crying
  13. mug — to rob
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. mug — a face
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. tear — to rip
  18. capital — money
  19. rash — a series
  20. rash — hasty
  21. tear — from crying
  22. land — ground
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. safe — out of danger

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