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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. game — a match
  4. chair — a leader
  5. plane — a tool
  6. pound — a weight
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. mark — a grade
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. cue — for pool
  15. mark — a trace
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. game — wild animals
  18. scale — in music
  19. scale — size or range
  20. cue — a signal
  21. cue — a hint
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. straw — a straw man

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