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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. mug — a face
  4. wind — moving air
  5. bass — the fish
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. ball — a great time
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. object — to protest
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. object — an aim
  14. mug — to rob
  15. shower — to wash
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. bass — low music
  19. shower — rain
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. ball — a dance
  22. mug — a cup
  23. wind — moving air
  24. object — a thing

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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