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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 put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. last — final
  4. cue — for pool
  5. cue — a hint
  6. last — finally
  7. can — a tin
  8. last — to go on
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. present — the time now
  11. chair — a leader
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. can — to be able to
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. present — there
  18. bass — low music
  19. present — a gift
  20. cue — a signal
  21. bass — the fish
  22. prune — to trim
  23. can — a tin
  24. prune — to trim

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