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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. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. cue — for pool
  3. mine — for digging
  4. fall — to drop
  5. can — to be able to
  6. bore — to drill
  7. ball — a great time
  8. mate — a friend
  9. can — a tin
  10. cue — a hint
  11. fall — to drop
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. ball — a dance
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. fall — the season
  16. mate — to breed
  17. chair — a leader
  18. cue — a signal
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. mate — a partner
  23. can — a tin
  24. bore — to tire

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