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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 116 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 am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. hand — help
  8. kid — child
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. hand — in cards
  11. mark — a trace
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. stand — to bear
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. kid — to tease
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. lie — to recline
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. mark — a grade

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