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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 sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. saw — the tool
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. drill — army training
  7. ball — a dance
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. chair — a leader
  11. drill — a practice
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. spell — magic
  15. wind — moving air
  16. ball — a great time
  17. drill — the tool
  18. wind — moving air
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. spell — a short time
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. pound — a weight
  23. spell — letters
  24. saw — the tool

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