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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 works in a ________________ mill.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. ball — a great time
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. chair — a leader
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. cue — a hint
  7. cue — a signal
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. sharp — clever
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. ball — a dance
  14. squash — to crush
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. kid — to tease
  18. saw — the tool
  19. kid — child
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. squash — the sport
  23. cue — for pool
  24. chair — a professorship

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