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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 116 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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. bass — low music
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. firm — a company
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. cue — a signal
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. row — to paddle
  9. bass — the fish
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. cue — for pool
  12. cue — a hint
  13. chair — a leader
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. perch — the fish
  18. firm — steady
  19. dip — to sink
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. row — a line
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. cell — in biology
  24. cell — a phone

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