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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 120 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. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. suit — in cards
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. cell — a phone
  6. chest — of your body
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. suit — clothes
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. chair — a leader
  13. band — a ring
  14. staff — employees
  15. suit — to fit
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. dip — to sink
  18. band — a music group
  19. chest — of your body
  20. staff — employees
  21. cell — in biology
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. wax — to grow
  24. staff — a stick

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