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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. hand — in cards
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. chair — a leader
  5. mug — a cup
  6. craft — a skill
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. swing — in golf
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. rule — a law
  11. mug — a face
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. mug — to rob
  14. swing — music
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. swing — to play on
  18. shower — rain
  19. craft — boats
  20. shower — to wash
  21. stem — to come from
  22. rule — government
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. hand — help

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