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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. He is an ace ________________.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. cap — a hat
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. rush — hurry
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. chair — a leader
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. mug — to rob
  15. kick — in football
  16. mug — a face
  17. stand — to bear
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. mug — a cup
  22. cap — a lid
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. cap — of ice

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