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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. can — to be able to
  3. saw — the tool
  4. kid — child
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. can — a tin
  9. can — a tin
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. mug — a cup
  12. saw — the tool
  13. chair — a leader
  14. mug — a face
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. pass — a permit
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. mug — to rob
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. kick — in football
  24. kid — to tease

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