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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: wound · mug · toast · chair · pitcher · lie · ball · stand

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. ball — a great time
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. chair — a leader
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. toast — bread
  14. mug — to rob
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. ball — a dance
  17. wound — an injury
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. stand — to bear
  20. lie — to recline
  21. wound — an injury
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. mug — a cup

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