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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  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. chair — a professorship
  2. season — of the year
  3. bound — obliged
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. mug — a cup
  7. mug — to rob
  8. pit — a hole
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. can — a tin
  11. pit — in a race
  12. bound — tied together
  13. chair — a leader
  14. bound — certain
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. mug — a face
  21. season — in sport
  22. can — a tin
  23. season — to add flavour
  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