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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. saw — the tool
  3. roll — a cake
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. cue — a signal
  7. roll — a list
  8. chair — a leader
  9. cue — a hint
  10. club — for dancing
  11. club — for golf
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. chip — for betting
  16. chip — to eat
  17. date — the fruit
  18. club — a group
  19. cue — for pool
  20. wax — to grow
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. saw — the tool

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