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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. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. tear — from crying
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. mug — a cup
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. chair — a leader
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. kid — child
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. spring — of water
  12. tear — from crying
  13. pound — a weight
  14. mug — a face
  15. tear — to rip
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. mug — to rob
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. spring — the season
  21. spring — a coil
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. kid — to tease
  24. vault — a safe

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