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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. mate — a friend
  4. chair — a leader
  5. mate — a partner
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. rest — what's left
  8. mate — to breed
  9. cell — in biology
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. firm — steady
  15. mine — for digging
  16. cell — a phone
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. rest — what's left
  19. firm — a company
  20. pop — music
  21. rest — a break
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. pop — to visit
  24. firm — decided

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