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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. band — a ring
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. band — a music group
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. court — of law
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. object — a thing
  14. season — of the year
  15. hand — in cards
  16. chair — a leader
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. object — to protest
  19. court — for sport
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. season — in sport
  22. object — an aim
  23. hand — help
  24. court — of a king

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