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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. chair — a leader
  3. march — music
  4. can — to be able to
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. staff — employees
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. can — a tin
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. scale — size or range
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. staff — employees
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. staff — a stick
  18. march — the month
  19. scale — in music
  20. plane — a tool
  21. can — a tin
  22. march — the month
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. chair — a professorship

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