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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. bound — tied together
  3. rock — music
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. capital — a city
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. wind — moving air
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. wind — moving air
  13. bound — certain
  14. rock — a stone
  15. chair — a leader
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. root — of a plant
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. lie — to recline
  20. bound — obliged
  21. capital — money
  22. root — of a word
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. root — the cause

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