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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. chair — a leader
  3. roll — a cake
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. snap — to click
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. mug — to rob
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. bass — low music
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. mug — a face
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. roll — a list
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. bass — the fish
  24. hide — to keep secret

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