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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 had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. pop — soda
  3. row — a line
  4. present — the time now
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. roll — a list
  9. present — there
  10. chair — a leader
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. pop — to visit
  13. pit — in a race
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. band — a music group
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. pit — a hole
  19. row — to paddle
  20. roll — a cake
  21. pop — music
  22. band — a ring
  23. present — a gift
  24. pitcher — a jug

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