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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. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. present — there
  3. chair — a leader
  4. tear — from crying
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. spell — letters
  8. spell — magic
  9. present — a gift
  10. tear — to rip
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. tear — from crying
  13. stand — to bear
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. lie — to recline
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. bass — low music
  19. present — the time now
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. bass — the fish
  24. spell — a short time

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