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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. dip — to sink
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. rest — a break
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. chair — a leader
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. object — to protest
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. rest — what's left
  13. object — a thing
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. cell — in biology
  17. rest — what's left
  18. kid — child
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. kid — to tease
  23. cell — a phone
  24. chair — to sit on

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