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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. chair — a leader
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. pop — to visit
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. staff — a stick
  7. bank — of a river
  8. foot — a measure
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. bank — for money
  11. capital — a city
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. staff — employees
  15. bank — for money
  16. pop — soda
  17. capital — money
  18. pop — music
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. snap — to click
  22. staff — employees
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. mouse — the animal

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