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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 120 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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  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. arm — part of the body
  2. wake — a trail
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. suit — to fit
  5. spring — the season
  6. shower — rain
  7. cue — for pool
  8. suit — in cards
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. suit — clothes
  11. spring — a coil
  12. pit — a hole
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. cue — a signal
  15. cue — a hint
  16. shower — to wash
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. pit — in a race
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. spring — of water
  23. wake — before a funeral
  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