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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. chair — a leader
  4. roll — a cake
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. bass — the fish
  7. scale — size or range
  8. roll — a list
  9. ground — crushed
  10. ground — the earth
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. scale — in music
  13. bound — tied together
  14. bass — low music
  15. bound — certain
  16. key — in music
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. key — for a lock
  19. bound — obliged
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. key — the most important part
  23. lie — to recline
  24. bass — the instrument

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