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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 reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. bound — tied together
  3. saw — the tool
  4. capital — money
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. wind — moving air
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. capital — a city
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. bound — certain
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. saw — the tool
  20. lie — to recline
  21. bound — obliged
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. wind — moving air
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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