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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. rock — music
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. object — to protest
  7. dip — to sink
  8. kid — to tease
  9. spell — magic
  10. pop — to visit
  11. pop — music
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. chair — a leader
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. object — a thing
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. pop — soda
  20. spell — letters
  21. kid — child
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. spell — a short time
  24. rock — a stone

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