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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. snap — to click
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. fine — high quality
  7. track — a path
  8. club — for golf
  9. track — to keep track
  10. club — for dancing
  11. cell — in biology
  12. firm — decided
  13. rock — music
  14. track — a song
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. firm — steady
  17. rock — a stone
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. cell — a phone
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. club — a group
  22. fine — all right
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. firm — a company

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