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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. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. can — to be able to
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. chair — a leader
  5. bat — the animal
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. scale — in music
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. scale — size or range
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. rest — a break
  15. dip — to sink
  16. rest — what's left
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. can — a tin
  20. can — a tin
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. bat — for baseball

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