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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. saw — the tool
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. rock — a stone
  7. wake — a trail
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. mine — for digging
  11. mug — a face
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. chair — a leader
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. mug — a cup
  18. saw — the tool
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. rock — music
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. mug — to rob

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