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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 116 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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. hand — help
  5. cell — in biology
  6. chair — a leader
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. cell — a phone
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. hand — in cards
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. bat — the animal
  23. mine — for digging
  24. mine — an explosive

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