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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. bound — obliged
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. squash — the sport
  5. chair — a leader
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. swing — to play on
  8. swing — in golf
  9. row — to paddle
  10. bound — tied together
  11. cap — a hat
  12. mug — to rob
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. squash — to crush
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. craft — boats
  18. mug — a cup
  19. cap — a lid
  20. swing — music
  21. cap — of ice
  22. craft — a skill
  23. bound — certain
  24. row — a line

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