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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  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. rash — a series
  2. wound — an injury
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. mate — a friend
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. chair — a leader
  7. rash — hasty
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. mate — to breed
  12. mate — a partner
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. pitch — completely
  15. rest — what's left
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. dip — to sink
  18. rest — a break
  19. tear — from crying
  20. tear — from crying
  21. rest — what's left
  22. wound — an injury
  23. dip — to dunk
  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