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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. saw — the tool
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. chest — a box
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. chair — a leader
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. chest — of your body
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. saw — the tool
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. chest — of your body
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. chair — a professorship

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