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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. lie — to recline
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. hand — help
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. sharp — clever
  9. shower — rain
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. chair — a leader
  12. shower — to wash
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. rock — music
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. deal — to handle
  19. hand — in cards
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. rock — a stone
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. pitch — completely

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