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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 120 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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. lie — to recline
  5. kid — to tease
  6. chair — a leader
  7. charge — a price
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. pit — a hole
  11. pit — in a race
  12. stem — to come from
  13. charge — electricity
  14. kid — child
  15. rock — a stone
  16. rock — music
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. charge — in control
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. band — a music group
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. band — a ring

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