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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 116 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.

Make a worksheet

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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Word bank
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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. mate — a friend
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. mate — a partner
  5. drill — a practice
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. dip — to sink
  8. rest — what's left
  9. chair — a leader
  10. lie — to recline
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. drill — army training
  17. mate — to breed
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. rest — what's left
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. drill — the tool
  24. rest — a break

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