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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. wound — an injury
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. cue — a signal
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. cue — for pool
  9. rash — hasty
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. rash — a series
  12. mate — a friend
  13. object — a thing
  14. mate — to breed
  15. mate — a partner
  16. cue — a hint
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. chair — a leader
  20. wound — an injury
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. object — an aim
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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