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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. row — a line
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. cue — for pool
  7. cue — a signal
  8. saw — the tool
  9. bulb — for light
  10. cue — a hint
  11. can — a tin
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. saw — the tool
  17. can — to be able to
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. chair — a leader
  21. can — a tin
  22. bulb — for light
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. row — to paddle

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