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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. present — a gift
  3. craft — boats
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. rash — a series
  8. present — there
  9. present — the time now
  10. rash — hasty
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. ball — a great time
  15. shower — rain
  16. pit — in a race
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. craft — a skill
  19. stand — to bear
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. shower — to wash
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. chair — a leader
  24. ball — a dance

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