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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 116 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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. cold — not warm
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. stem — to come from
  6. pit — a hole
  7. pit — in a race
  8. craft — boats
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. kid — to tease
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. kid — child
  16. craft — a skill
  17. chair — a leader
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. club — a group
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. club — for golf
  24. cold — an illness

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