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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. present — there
  3. scale — size or range
  4. spell — letters
  5. staff — a stick
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. spell — a short time
  8. staff — employees
  9. kick — in football
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. staff — employees
  13. present — a gift
  14. scale — in music
  15. chair — a leader
  16. last — to go on
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. band — a ring
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. present — the time now
  21. band — a music group
  22. last — final
  23. last — finally
  24. spell — magic

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