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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. pop — music
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. net — in sport
  6. hand — help
  7. pop — to visit
  8. hand — in cards
  9. net — for catching
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. key — in music
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. fall — to drop
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. net — after costs
  18. key — the most important part
  19. chair — a leader
  20. fall — the season
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. pop — soda
  23. fall — to drop
  24. key — for a lock

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