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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. rush — hurry
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. fall — to drop
  7. bear — the animal
  8. mug — a face
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. staff — employees
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. fall — to drop
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. staff — employees
  15. file — a document
  16. staff — a stick
  17. mug — a cup
  18. fall — the season
  19. bear — the animal
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. mug — to rob
  22. file — a tool
  23. file — a line of people
  24. chair — a leader

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