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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. chair — a leader
  3. snap — to click
  4. staff — employees
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. dip — to sink
  7. rock — a stone
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. date — the fruit
  11. staff — a stick
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. staff — employees
  18. can — a tin
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. can — a tin
  21. rock — music
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. can — to be able to

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