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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. roll — a list
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. tube — a container
  7. last — to go on
  8. tube — the underground
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. last — finally
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. bass — the fish
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. last — final
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. bass — low music
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. roll — a cake

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