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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 120 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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. chair — a leader
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. rock — a stone
  7. rock — music
  8. key — for a lock
  9. kid — to tease
  10. row — a line
  11. bound — obliged
  12. pit — in a race
  13. season — in sport
  14. bound — certain
  15. row — to paddle
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. kid — child
  18. key — in music
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. bound — tied together
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. season — of the year
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. key — the most important part

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