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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. tear — from crying
  3. tear — to rip
  4. rest — what's left
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. mate — to breed
  7. rest — what's left
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. bass — the fish
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. rest — a break
  13. mate — a partner
  14. foot — a measure
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. mate — a friend
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. chair — a leader
  21. tear — from crying
  22. bat — the animal
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. bass — low music

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