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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 120 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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  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 — to sit on
  2. shower — to wash
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. fine — all right
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. rash — hasty
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. bound — obliged
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. fine — high quality
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. saw — the tool
  13. saw — the tool
  14. rash — a series
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. suit — in cards
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. bound — certain
  19. suit — clothes
  20. suit — to fit
  21. shower — rain
  22. chair — a leader
  23. bound — tied together
  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