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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 120 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.

Make a worksheet

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: chair · dip · wake · temple · pitch · fall · bound · sharp

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. dip — to sink
  7. wake — a trail
  8. bound — tied together
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. fall — to drop
  14. bound — obliged
  15. fall — the season
  16. pitch — completely
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. fall — to drop
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. sharp — clever
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. bound — certain
  24. wake — before a funeral

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