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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. rock — a stone
  3. rock — music
  4. chair — a leader
  5. bound — tied together
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. kick — in football
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. row — to paddle
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. row — a line
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. bound — obliged
  20. bound — certain
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. pass — a permit
  23. wound — an injury
  24. wound — an injury

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