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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. sharp — clever
  3. mug — a cup
  4. cue — a signal
  5. net — for catching
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. net — after costs
  10. net — in sport
  11. mug — to rob
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. mug — a face
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. wake — a trail
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. lean — to bend
  20. cue — for pool
  21. cue — a hint
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. chair — a leader
  24. lean — to rest against

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