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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. There's no middle ________________.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. ground — a position
  3. saw — the tool
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. kid — to tease
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. bound — obliged
  8. bound — tied together
  9. chair — a leader
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. drill — a practice
  13. drill — the tool
  14. kid — child
  15. saw — the tool
  16. cap — a hat
  17. bound — certain
  18. ground — crushed
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. drill — army training
  21. cap — of ice
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. cap — a lid
  24. ground — the earth

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