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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. kid — to tease
  3. rest — a break
  4. scale — in music
  5. bound — certain
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. chair — a leader
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. bound — obliged
  11. rest — what's left
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. rest — what's left
  19. lie — to recline
  20. kid — child
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. bound — tied together
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. lie — an untruth

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