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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. lie — to recline
  3. mug — a cup
  4. cue — a hint
  5. net — for catching
  6. mug — to rob
  7. cue — a signal
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. net — after costs
  10. bank — of a river
  11. mug — a face
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. bank — for money
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. march — the month
  16. march — music
  17. march — the month
  18. bank — for money
  19. cue — for pool
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. net — in sport
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. chair — a leader
  24. chair — a professorship

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