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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.

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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. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. club — for dancing
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. land — to come down
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. sharp — clever
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. land — ground
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. club — for golf
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. club — a group
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. season — of the year
  20. season — in sport
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. land — a country
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. chair — a leader

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