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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
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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: cell · lie · rush · chair · roll · bat · wave · ground

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. lie — to recline
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. chair — a leader
  5. ground — crushed
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. ground — a position
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. roll — a cake
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. cell — a phone
  17. rush — hurry
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. bat — the animal
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. roll — a list
  23. cell — in biology
  24. lie — an untruth

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