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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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. mark — a trace
  5. mug — a face
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. cell — a phone
  8. pass — a permit
  9. current — happening now
  10. current — of water
  11. chair — a leader
  12. lean — thin
  13. mug — to rob
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. mark — a grade
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. lean — to bend
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. current — electric
  20. cell — in biology
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. kick — in football

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