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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. fall — the season
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. fall — to drop
  7. mine — for digging
  8. lie — to recline
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. band — a ring
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. band — a music group
  15. fall — to drop
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. pitcher — a jug

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