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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 120 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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. chair — a leader
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. band — a ring
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. cue — a signal
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. cue — a hint
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. degree — temperature
  11. face — to confront
  12. degree — an amount
  13. face — part of the head
  14. mug — to rob
  15. vault — a safe
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. degree — from a university
  18. foot — a measure
  19. face — to point toward
  20. band — a music group
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. cue — for pool
  24. mug — a face

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