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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. wind — moving air
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. capital — a city
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. pass — a permit
  14. pound — a weight
  15. chip — to eat
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. capital — money
  19. chip — for betting
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. wind — moving air
  24. chip — in a computer

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