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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. rest — what's left
  5. rest — a break
  6. rest — what's left
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. kid — child
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. perch — the fish
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. fine — all right
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. hand — in cards
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. hand — help
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. kid — to tease
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. lie — to recline
  24. fine — high quality

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