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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  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. chair — to sit on
  2. mate — a partner
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. march — the month
  5. march — the month
  6. chair — a leader
  7. kid — to tease
  8. mate — a friend
  9. cue — for pool
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. mate — to breed
  13. row — a line
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. march — music
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. cue — a hint
  21. row — to paddle
  22. kid — child
  23. cue — a signal
  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