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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. march — the month
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. bulb — for light
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. bulb — for light
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. march — music
  17. wind — moving air
  18. wound — an injury
  19. season — of the year
  20. wound — an injury
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. march — the month
  23. wind — moving air
  24. season — in sport

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