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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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. can — a tin
  3. cell — in biology
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. kid — child
  7. kid — to tease
  8. can — to be able to
  9. stand — to bear
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. mug — to rob
  14. can — a tin
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. plane — a tool
  17. cell — a phone
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. rule — a law
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. rule — government
  23. mug — a face
  24. chair — a leader

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