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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. bound — certain
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. firm — a company
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. chest — of your body
  7. chair — a leader
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. bound — obliged
  10. chest — a box
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. scale — size or range
  15. chest — of your body
  16. firm — steady
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. bound — tied together
  19. firm — decided
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. sharp — clever
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. scale — in music
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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