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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. chair — a leader
  4. cue — a signal
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. craft — a skill
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. chest — a box
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. cue — a hint
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. fall — to drop
  14. fall — to drop
  15. last — to go on
  16. cue — for pool
  17. fall — the season
  18. chest — of your body
  19. last — final
  20. last — finally
  21. chest — of your body
  22. rush — hurry
  23. pound — a weight
  24. craft — boats

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