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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. wind — moving air
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. mark — a grade
  5. track — a path
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. row — a line
  8. wind — moving air
  9. key — for a lock
  10. rest — what's left
  11. track — to keep track
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. mark — a trace
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. rest — a break
  19. row — to paddle
  20. key — in music
  21. key — the most important part
  22. track — a song
  23. rest — what's left
  24. chair — to sit on

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