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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. cue — for pool
  3. chair — a leader
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. ball — a dance
  7. wound — an injury
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. cue — a signal
  11. cap — a hat
  12. cap — of ice
  13. wound — an injury
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. bore — to drill
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. bore — to tire
  21. cue — a hint
  22. cap — a lid
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. leaves — of a tree

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