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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. cap — a lid
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. chair — a leader
  6. cap — of ice
  7. craft — a skill
  8. wind — moving air
  9. craft — boats
  10. pit — in a race
  11. branch — a division
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. lie — to recline
  15. cap — a hat
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. pit — a hole
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. arm — part of the 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