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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. fork — in a road
  3. cell — in biology
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. pop — to visit
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. tube — the underground
  10. mate — a partner
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. mate — to breed
  13. mate — a friend
  14. kick — in football
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. tube — a container
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. pop — soda
  20. cell — a phone
  21. pop — music
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. mouse — the animal

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