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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. mug — to rob
  3. cue — a signal
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. sharp — clever
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. rush — hurry
  11. cue — a hint
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. fall — to drop
  14. mug — a face
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. fall — to drop
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. mug — a cup
  22. cue — for pool
  23. bat — the animal
  24. chair — a leader

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