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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. pop — to visit
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. stand — to bear
  5. can — a tin
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. rest — what's left
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. rest — what's left
  11. can — to be able to
  12. tube — a container
  13. rest — a break
  14. chair — a leader
  15. can — a tin
  16. tube — the underground
  17. club — for dancing
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. club — for golf
  21. club — a group
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. pop — music

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