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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. rule — a law
  3. bound — tied together
  4. chair — a leader
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. bound — obliged
  8. rule — government
  9. bat — the animal
  10. mug — to rob
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. file — a document
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. file — a line of people
  15. bound — certain
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. file — a tool
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. mug — a face
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. mug — a cup

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