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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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. hand — help
  3. band — a music group
  4. scale — in music
  5. chair — a leader
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. mug — a face
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. scale — size or range
  11. mate — a partner
  12. hand — in cards
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. mate — to breed
  15. stem — to come from
  16. band — a ring
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. mate — a friend
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. mug — to rob

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