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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. staff — employees
  3. lean — thin
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. key — for a lock
  6. staff — a stick
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. lie — to recline
  10. staff — employees
  11. present — the time now
  12. chair — a leader
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. bass — low music
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. key — the most important part
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. bass — the fish
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. key — in music
  23. present — a gift
  24. lean — to bend

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