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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  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. cabinet — ministers
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. chair — a leader
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. spell — a short time
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. spell — letters
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. spell — magic
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. rock — music
  16. rock — a stone
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. wound — an injury
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. wound — an injury
  21. foot — a measure
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. chair — a professorship
  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