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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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  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 — a professorship
  2. cue — a signal
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. chair — a leader
  5. spell — letters
  6. bound — tied together
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. lean — thin
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. bound — certain
  11. spell — a short time
  12. clip — a video
  13. cue — a hint
  14. clip — for paper
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. lean — to bend
  19. bound — obliged
  20. clip — to cut
  21. cue — for pool
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. bowl — to roll
  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