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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. rest — what's left
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. net — in sport
  5. rest — what's left
  6. mug — a face
  7. tear — to rip
  8. last — to go on
  9. row — to paddle
  10. net — for catching
  11. row — a line
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. rest — a break
  14. mug — a cup
  15. pit — a hole
  16. pit — in a race
  17. tear — from crying
  18. last — finally
  19. net — after costs
  20. tear — from crying
  21. mug — to rob
  22. chair — a leader
  23. last — final
  24. row — a quarrel

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