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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. cue — for pool
  3. spell — a short time
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. spell — letters
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. hand — in cards
  8. craft — a skill
  9. cue — a hint
  10. chair — a leader
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. club — a group
  13. cue — a signal
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. club — for golf
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. scale — in music
  18. spell — magic
  19. scale — size or range
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. craft — boats
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. club — for dancing
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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