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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. mug — a face
  4. bat — the animal
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. mate — a partner
  7. root — of a plant
  8. chair — a leader
  9. wind — moving air
  10. mate — to breed
  11. lie — to recline
  12. mug — to rob
  13. mate — a friend
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. root — the cause
  17. root — of a word
  18. mug — a cup
  19. wind — moving air
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. deal — to handle
  24. wind — to turn a key

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