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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.

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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. can — to be able to
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. pop — soda
  6. staff — employees
  7. net — in sport
  8. staff — a stick
  9. can — a tin
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. pop — to visit
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. net — after costs
  14. chair — a leader
  15. can — a tin
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. row — to paddle
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. staff — employees
  20. net — for catching
  21. craft — boats
  22. pop — music
  23. craft — a skill
  24. row — a line

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