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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. game — wild animals
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. date — the fruit
  11. game — a match
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. cue — a signal
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. plane — a tool
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. cue — a hint
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. wake — a trail
  21. cue — for pool
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. snap — to click

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