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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  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. cell — in biology
  2. bear — the animal
  3. mug — a face
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. sharp — clever
  6. roll — a cake
  7. net — in sport
  8. mug — a cup
  9. bass — the fish
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. cell — a phone
  12. bass — low music
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. net — for catching
  15. net — after costs
  16. chair — a leader
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. roll — a list
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. bear — the animal
  23. mug — to rob
  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