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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 124 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. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. cue — for pool
  5. march — the month
  6. season — in sport
  7. march — music
  8. pop — music
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. pop — to visit
  12. hand — help
  13. hand — in cards
  14. cue — a signal
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. cue — a hint
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. season — of the year
  21. pop — soda
  22. chair — a leader
  23. march — the month
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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