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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. cue — a signal
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. firm — a company
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. rock — a stone
  8. firm — steady
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. cue — for pool
  11. rock — music
  12. pit — a hole
  13. chair — a leader
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. firm — decided
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. cold — not warm
  21. cold — an illness
  22. pit — in a race
  23. mine — for digging
  24. chair — to sit on

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