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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 120 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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. spell — magic
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. net — in sport
  5. net — for catching
  6. spell — a short time
  7. track — to keep track
  8. fork — in a road
  9. object — a thing
  10. hand — in cards
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. object — to protest
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. object — an aim
  15. spell — letters
  16. hand — help
  17. lie — to recline
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. track — a path
  20. track — a song
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. net — after costs
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. chair — to sit on

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