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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. kid — child
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. pit — in a race
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. pit — a hole
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. last — to go on
  13. last — finally
  14. last — final
  15. capital — a city
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. capital — money
  19. lie — to recline
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. kid — to tease
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. lie — an untruth

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