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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. can — a tin
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. ball — a great time
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. can — to be able to
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. bound — certain
  12. row — a line
  13. ball — a dance
  14. bound — tied together
  15. season — of the year
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. chair — a leader
  19. can — a tin
  20. season — in sport
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. bound — obliged
  23. row — to paddle
  24. date — the fruit

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