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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 116 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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. mate — to breed
  3. mug — to rob
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. mate — a friend
  8. band — a music group
  9. can — a tin
  10. can — to be able to
  11. chair — a leader
  12. can — a tin
  13. tube — a container
  14. mug — a cup
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. snap — to click
  17. tube — the underground
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. mate — a partner
  20. band — a ring
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. wound — an injury
  23. mug — a face
  24. wound — an injury

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