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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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. tear — from crying
  3. wind — moving air
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. row — to paddle
  6. tear — to rip
  7. cell — a phone
  8. cell — in biology
  9. club — for golf
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. club — a group
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. lie — to recline
  16. wind — moving air
  17. row — a line
  18. craft — boats
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. club — for dancing
  21. craft — a skill
  22. chair — a leader
  23. tear — from crying
  24. cell — in a prison

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