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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. pass — a permit
  3. cell — in biology
  4. staff — a stick
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. scale — size or range
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. content — the amount
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. staff — employees
  17. cell — a phone
  18. content — happy
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. scale — in music
  23. staff — employees
  24. chair — a leader

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