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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. ball — a great time
  3. rash — a series
  4. net — after costs
  5. tear — from crying
  6. ball — a dance
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. net — for catching
  9. chair — a leader
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. spell — letters
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. rash — hasty
  15. spell — a short time
  16. net — in sport
  17. tear — from crying
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. hand — in cards
  20. spell — magic
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. foot — a measure
  24. tear — to rip

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