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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. firm — decided
  4. club — a group
  5. scale — size or range
  6. chair — a leader
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. club — for golf
  12. drill — army training
  13. firm — a company
  14. snap — to click
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. club — for dancing
  17. firm — steady
  18. cue — a hint
  19. cue — a signal
  20. drill — a practice
  21. cue — for pool
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. drill — the tool
  24. scale — in 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