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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. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. chair — a leader
  3. bass — low music
  4. mark — a trace
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. lean — thin
  7. lean — to bend
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. mark — a grade
  10. suit — clothes
  11. kick — in football
  12. club — a group
  13. suit — in cards
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. club — for golf
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. bass — the fish
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. club — for dancing
  23. date — the fruit
  24. chair — a professorship

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