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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. fall — to drop
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. fall — to drop
  5. chair — a leader
  6. lie — to recline
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. field — a subject
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. pass — a permit
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. branch — a division
  18. deal — to handle
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. field — farmland
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. fall — the season
  24. field — for sport

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