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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. net — in sport
  3. mug — a face
  4. suit — to fit
  5. mug — a cup
  6. mug — to rob
  7. ball — a great time
  8. net — for catching
  9. suit — in cards
  10. spring — a coil
  11. net — after costs
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. rush — hurry
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. spring — of water
  16. prune — to trim
  17. ball — a dance
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. suit — clothes
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. spring — the season
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. prune — to trim
  24. chair — to sit on

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