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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. present — a gift
  4. present — there
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. shower — rain
  8. staff — employees
  9. snap — to click
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. band — a music group
  15. present — the time now
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. chip — for betting
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. band — a ring
  20. chip — to eat
  21. staff — a stick
  22. shower — to wash
  23. staff — employees
  24. chair — a leader

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