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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 116 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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. land — ground
  3. track — a song
  4. present — the time now
  5. cue — a signal
  6. cell — a phone
  7. land — a country
  8. cell — in biology
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. present — a gift
  11. staff — employees
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. scale — in music
  14. track — to keep track
  15. land — to come down
  16. chair — a leader
  17. cue — for pool
  18. track — a path
  19. scale — size or range
  20. cue — a hint
  21. staff — employees
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. staff — a stick
  24. present — there

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