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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. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. field — a subject
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. ball — a dance
  10. deal — to handle
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. ball — a great time
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. field — for sport
  15. field — farmland
  16. chair — a leader
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. present — there
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. sharp — clever
  21. lie — to recline
  22. present — the time now
  23. present — a gift
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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