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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. dip — to sink
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. cell — in biology
  7. march — the month
  8. cell — a phone
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. firm — steady
  11. craft — boats
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. march — music
  14. firm — a company
  15. file — a tool
  16. ball — a dance
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. file — a document
  19. march — the month
  20. ball — a great time
  21. file — a line of people
  22. chair — a leader
  23. firm — decided
  24. craft — a skill

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