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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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  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. toast — the most admired
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. wake — a trail
  4. toast — bread
  5. cue — a hint
  6. charge — in control
  7. net — for catching
  8. spell — magic
  9. cue — for pool
  10. spell — letters
  11. spell — a short time
  12. net — after costs
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. charge — a price
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. net — in sport
  17. cue — a signal
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. charge — electricity
  20. sharp — clever
  21. chair — a leader
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. sharp — exactly
  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