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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. chair — a leader
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. land — ground
  7. net — in sport
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. key — the most important part
  10. land — a country
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. net — for catching
  13. net — after costs
  14. key — for a lock
  15. land — to come down
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. lie — to recline
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. key — in music
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. season — in sport
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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