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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. saw — the tool
  3. prune — to trim
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. lie — to recline
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. hand — help
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. bat — the animal
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. hand — in cards
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. saw — the tool
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. prune — to trim

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