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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 120 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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. mug — a face
  3. object — a thing
  4. stand — to bear
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. mug — a cup
  7. wound — an injury
  8. pass — a permit
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. wound — an injury
  12. object — to protest
  13. spring — a coil
  14. spring — the season
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. swing — to play on
  18. spring — of water
  19. swing — in golf
  20. chair — a leader
  21. mug — to rob
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. swing — music
  24. object — an aim

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