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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. fine — high quality
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. key — the most important part
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. key — in music
  11. sharp — clever
  12. rest — what's left
  13. pitch — completely
  14. rest — what's left
  15. row — a line
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. row — to paddle
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. fine — all right
  21. rest — a break
  22. chair — a leader
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. key — for a lock

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