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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. shower — rain
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. kid — child
  5. staff — employees
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. season — in sport
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. shower — to wash
  10. staff — a stick
  11. bat — the animal
  12. object — to protest
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. object — a thing
  18. chair — a leader
  19. staff — employees
  20. season — of the year
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. lie — to recline
  24. kid — to tease

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