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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. chair — a leader
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. firm — steady
  6. last — final
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. track — a song
  9. cue — a hint
  10. charge — in control
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. last — finally
  13. track — to keep track
  14. charge — a price
  15. firm — decided
  16. firm — a company
  17. cue — a signal
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. last — to go on
  20. charge — electricity
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. wax — to grow
  23. track — a path
  24. cue — for pool

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