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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 116 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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. bound — obliged
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. cue — a hint
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. bear — the animal
  7. land — a country
  8. bound — certain
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. net — for catching
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. cue — a signal
  13. bound — tied together
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. land — ground
  16. net — in sport
  17. chair — a leader
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. bear — the animal
  20. net — after costs
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. cue — for pool
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. pass — a permit

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