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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. ground — the earth
  4. ground — a position
  5. band — a ring
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. scale — in music
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. deal — to handle
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. band — a music group
  14. ground — crushed
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. scale — size or range
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. racket — for tennis

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