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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. cue — a hint
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. chair — a leader
  7. mark — a trace
  8. cue — for pool
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. cue — a signal
  11. mark — a grade
  12. rock — a stone
  13. bound — tied together
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. pound — a weight
  17. bound — obliged
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. bound — certain
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. rock — music

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