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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. chair — a leader
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. cue — a hint
  6. season — of the year
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. cue — for pool
  9. bass — the fish
  10. shower — to wash
  11. cue — a signal
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. bass — low music
  14. season — in sport
  15. pit — in a race
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. shower — rain
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. staff — employees
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. staff — employees
  22. snap — to click
  23. staff — a stick
  24. chair — a professorship

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