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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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. mark — a trace
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. cue — a hint
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. can — a tin
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. wax — to grow
  9. can — to be able to
  10. hand — help
  11. stand — to bear
  12. file — a tool
  13. can — a tin
  14. file — a line of people
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. cue — a signal
  19. chair — a leader
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. mark — a grade
  22. file — a document
  23. cue — for pool
  24. hand — in cards

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