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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. chair — a leader
  5. rest — what's left
  6. toast — bread
  7. swing — music
  8. rest — a break
  9. rest — what's left
  10. swing — in golf
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. craft — a skill
  14. cell — a phone
  15. cell — in biology
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. craft — boats
  18. swing — to play on

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