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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. chair — a leader
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. stand — to bear
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. lie — to recline
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. current — happening now
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. current — of water
  16. scale — size or range
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. current — electric
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. dip — to sink
  22. scale — in music
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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