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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. rock — a stone
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. scale — in music
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. spring — a coil
  7. drill — a practice
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. chair — a leader
  10. spring — the season
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. rock — music
  13. mug — to rob
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. scale — size or range
  16. board — to get on
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. spring — of water
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. drill — the tool
  21. drill — army training
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. board — a committee
  24. mug — a cup

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